Jill's New Life
by AbbieL
Summary: Jill moves into her deceased father's old farm in order to give her life a new direction. Jill x Marlin, M rated for adult situations and language.
1. Jill's Arrival

**CHAPTER 1 - Jill's arrival**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

It was a beautiful day at Forget-Me-Not-Valley's shores. The sun shone high up in the sky and the sea was unusually calm. Twenty-six year old Marlin watched a boat arrive in the distance, his bright blue eyes fixed upon the horizon. He leaned against the posts of the deck, chewing on a straw. Typical farm boy, anyone could tell.

The boat arrived and the captain - a gray haired man around his 50's - left his cabin. He jump off the boat and helped Marlin tie the boat's rope to the deck.

"_Is this the load Vesta asked me to pick up?_", Marlin asked, looking at the older man in the eyes.

"_Yes._", the man, called Grayson, replied. "_That and..._"

Before he could finish his sentence a noise was heard from inside the cabin. A young looking, brunette and amethyst eyed woman walked out. Well, more like stumbled out.

"_Uh._", she muttered. "_Sorry. I am so clumsy sometimes._"

The old man smiled at her, offering his hand as she took off the old boat, luggage occupying her other hand.

"_Marlin, this is Jill. Jill, this is Marlin, one of the local farmers._", Grayson politely attempted to introduce the two young adults. Marlin took a moment to look her in the eyes, and she stared right back into his blue ones. He simply muttered something about having business to attend to and picked up two boxes, then proceeded to walk towards a pickup parked nearby.

Grayson sighed and started to pick up a box aswell. "_I'm sorry, kid. Marlin has always been sort of a..._"

"_Impolite jerkface?_", she interrupted, quirking a thin brow at the poor man. She could sense his embarassment. "_No problem, pal. I'm from the city. I'm used to it._"

"_I guess you are right._", he chuckled. "_But hey, don't get me wrong. Deep down everyone around here knows Marlin is a great guy._"

Jill let down her luggage and picked up a box too, deciding she would help Grayson carry the load to the pickup.

"_Oh dear, you don't have to._", he said. "_You must be tired from this trip._"

"_No worries!_", Jill smiled. On their way passed a very distant Marlin. He went back to pick up more boxes.

"_He is Vesta's younger brother. Vesta is a very nice woman. She owns the seed shop around here, and she happens to be an excellent farmer too!_", Grayson pointed out.

"_Oh, nice!_", Jill lightened up, carefully placing the box in the pickup's trunk. "_Maybe I can ask her for a few tips, then?_"

"_I bet she will be delighted to help a rookie out._", Grayson said, placing his box in it's place too, but with a lot less care.

Marlin came from behind them, placing the remaining three boxes on the trunk. "_This should be it._"

Jill watched him in awe. She struggled just to carry one box, but Marlin made it look like the easiest thing in the world. This was one strong man, she figured.

Grayson was watching Marlin almost as interested as Jill was, but instead of awe he carried a look of slight concern for the younger man. "_Should you be carrying weight like that_?"

"_Shut up, old man._", Marlin sneered, turning his back at the two of them.

"_Hey!_", Jill protested, reaching for his arm and grasping as hard as she could before he could get inside his pickup. "_That was not nice of you!_"

Marlin easily shook her hand off, his cold gaze nearly piercing her innocent soul. "_Mind your own business. Who the heck are YOU, anyway?_"

"_I already told you._", Grayson frowned. "_This is Jill. By the way, she is the new owner of that abandoned lot that's close to downtown._"

"_Yes._", she confirmed. "_You should treat your potential costumers a bit better, by the way._"

Marlin quirked a thick brow at her, as if restraining himself from saying something awful to her as a comeback, but he knew she was kind of right. Forget-Me-Not-Valley was a small place and he could not afford to lose any income. Plus, if Vesta found out he was being rude to the new girl she would be super pissed.

"_I'm out._", he said, looking at Grayson one last time before entering the pickup and taking off.

Grayson patted Jill lightly on the shoulder. "_Really, you get used to it. Now... shall I help you with your luggage?_"

"_Yes, thank you._", Jill smiled, back to her normal self. She handed him one of her bags and both entered his car, which was parked near the beach too.

...

It was the end of the afternoon when Jill finally got home. Grayson took the time to show her around town since he was driving anyway. Forget-Me-Not-Valley was indeed a very small island. There was the beach, the mountain and it's mysterious caves, a forest, some unexplored jungle and a few family farms around. Downtown there were houses and shops, which she would eventually have to visit. For the most part, Jill was unimpressed, making her start to miss the busy life in the city a little, but on the other hand taking a sneak peek at Vesta's beautiful crop farm was a real inspiration to her. She just had to meet this woman.

Jill sighed happily as she laid down on her comfy, large bed. She was tired from the boat trip, obviously, and tomorrow would be a long day. Now sitting up on the edge of the bed, she untied her ponytail, allowing her smooth, long brown hair to fall down her back graciously. She smiled at the sensation, getting up slowly and starting to strip off her clothes.

The young woman found herself only in a pair of white and blue polka-dots boyshorts and unmatching black bra. Clearly she was not the kind of girl that would care about matching stuff, unless it was for a special occasion.

Suddenly, Jill turned on her heels, her ears catching the sound of steps coming towards her. Boots. She froze, looking up.

"_Wha-_", Marlin was interrupted by his own shock. He covered his eyes with his hands as quickly as he could muster. "_W-WHY ARE YOU NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES, WOMAN?_"

Jill's eyes were so wide open she swore they nearly popped out of her face. She grabbed the robes that were hung nearby and put them on with mad hurry. "_WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE? CAN'T YOU KNOCK?_"

Marlin let his hands fall back on his sides, slightly blushing in embarassment. "_I saw the front door open... figured it would be okay to come in._"

"_That god damn lock._", she sighed, slapping her own forehead playfully. "_It's broken. Grayson told me he would call the local carpenter to fix it for me._"

"_Oh._", was all he could bring himself to say.

"_Yeah._", she scowled. "_Why are you here anyway? I think I heard enough from you earlier today._"

Jill crossed her arms across her chest. She was still mad about their first encounter, this he could tell. And God, was Marlin terrible when it came to figuring girls out. Maybe it was why he was still single. Or maybe it was his terrible attitude.

"_I was thinking about what you said earlier._", Marlin answered cooly, leaning his back against the wall. "_I kinda hope I didn't make a bad impression on you. We could always use new costumers around here, you know._"

"_Well, you DID make yourself look like a total asshole back there._", she smirked. "_But that doesn't matter. You and your sister are the only crop dealers around here anyway. Plus, I hard great things about Vesta._"

Marlin nodded, satisfied with her answer despite how she called him an ass and all. "_All I wanted to know._", he said, turning around. "_Well, if you need any crops for your new farm, you know where to find us. And... erm. Sorry about this little.. incident._"

"_All good._", Jill grinned. Was it a hint of playfulness on his voice? No, she must have been wrong. She followed him to her front door.

Marlin turned around, his icy blue eyes on her amethyst ones. They were a bit too close for two people that just met eachother, but none even flinched. They both had very strong personalities.

"_You should stop by tomorrow._", he said. "_You and Vesta are sure to get along._"

"_You think so?_", she blinked, a satisfied grin creeping up her rosy lips.

"_Sure. Maybe if she makes a new friend she will get off my back._", he grumbled, causing her to roll her eyes at him. He turned his back at her again and began walking away. Jerk.

Jill went back inside, deciding she would take a shower before going to bed. Once again she stripped off her remaining clothes, this time making sure no one was around to interrupt her, and walked into her shower.

"_So.._", she thought to herself, fidgeting with her long brown strands. "_Tomorrow I meet Vesta. Maybe she can teach me a thing or two about growing crops._"

Jill sighed, leaning against the cool beige tiles of the wall. She had no idea of what she was doing. Leaving behind the busy life in the city and the comfort of her mother's arms to a hard working life in a small island would be hard, but she had to do this. She had to do this for her dad. She _had_ to honor his memory.

**This is it for the first chapter. What do you think? Please feel free to C&C!**


	2. A stroll around town

** CHAPTER 2 - A stroll around town**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

The next morning Jill got up, still feeling a bit overwhelmed, but she knew she had a long day ahead of her. Lazily, she took a quick shower, thinking maybe all she needed was to relax a bit.

Once she got done with her shower Jill picked up some clothes from her closet and started to dress up. She put on her jeans overalls on with a yellow shirt underneath it, yellow rubber gloves and black boots. Her new work wardrobe consisted mostly of those pieces, aside from some color variations. Jill tried her hair up in a high ponytail, her bangs falling down her forehead.

The young farmer strolled into the kitchen, her hands reaching for the shelves, but she stopped herself on her tracks.

"_Duh._", she mentally slapped herself. "_I don't have any coffee. I need to go grocery shopping, I guess_."

Jill looked over the small table next to the leather couch in her living room. Over the table there was the telephone and a small list written in clumsy handwriting.

"_Right._", she muttered to herself. "_Grayson left me a list of local phone numbers._" She took the list in her hands, eyes scanning through the different names and numbers.

"_Found it!_", she cheered, finger over the phone number of a supermarket that actually made deliveries. Jill picked up the phone, proceeding to dial the number. She was greeted by a feminine voice on the other side of the line. Thankfully, in just a few minutes she was done placing her order and was told to expect delivery by the end of the day.

Good. She still had time to take a stroll around town and visit Vesta. As soon as she put the phone back in it's proper place, Jill heard a knock on her door. She walked towards the entrance, using one amethyst eye to spy through the peephole while squeezing the other shut tightly. Not like it would prevent anything from happening to her, anyway. The lock was broken and if this was a robbery she knew she would be screwed.

A large, bearded and strong man in his late 40's stood there, a red box of tools in hand. He caught the glimpse of an eye watching him and slowly lifted the box to the peephole's level, as if to point out why he was there.

"_I'm Gotz, the carpenter. Grayson asked me to come fix your lock and introduce myself._", he said in his manly, rough voice.

Jill opened the door, smiling awkwardly at him. "_Thank god you are here! I am Jill, the new farmer._"

Gotz shook her tiny hand firmly, trying to muster a smile aswell, but his was much weirder, he had to admit it. "_It is very nice to meet you, Jill. Is this the lock that needs to be fixed?_"

"_Yep._", she nodded. "_Surprisingly no one has tried to rob me or anything. Weird, uh?_"

"_Not really._", Gotz replied, walking in as she stepped aside for him. "_It's a small island. If anyone ever tried to rob one of the villagers they would get caught for sure._"

"_I guess you are right._", Jill agreed, relieved to be living in such a safe place now. She watched as the man kneeled down next to the door and began pulling some tools out of his box. "_Sometimes I forget I don't live in the big city anymore._"

"_You get used to it._", he winked at her, then proceeded to get back to the task at hand.

Soon enough Gotz was done fixing the lock and he was gone on his pickup. Apparently, everyone in Forget-Me-Not-Valley owned a pickup or similar vehicle. "_Make sure to introduce yourself around town!_", were his last words before the big man took off.

Jill smiled softly and closed the door behind her. Indeed, that was exactly what she had planned to do that afternoon.

...

Jill found herself downtown in no time that day. Her farm was really close, unlike Vesta's, which was a little further away. Jill was first greeted by Nami, a short and pink haired young woman about the same age as her and Gustafa, the local hippie that had a long beard and wore a funny green hat. Gustafa himself looked like he was on his early 30's. Both didn't really have jobs and lived their lifes like loners, which was funny since this made them look like a perfect couple. If they were together or not, Jill could not tell.

"_Anyway, I'm going for a stroll on the forest and I might visit the pond. Would you like to tag along?_", Nami asked.

"_Not now, thanks._", Jill refused politely. "_I kinda have a long day ahead of me._"

"_You sure? I was going to place some offerings to the Harvest Goddess. Did you know she is famous for actually making the villager's wishes come true?_", Risa pointed out excitedly. She was a believer.

"_Really?_", Jill was a bit surprised, and curious too. "_I had no idea. I am sure to check it out sometime soon, then._"

"_You should!_", Nami smiled, her hand grasping Gustafa by the arm as she began to walk off, dragging him along.

"_Guess I'm tagging along._", he sweatdropped, earning a death glare from his pink haired companion. "_Later, Jill!_"

...

Along that day Jill got to meet several other villagers, such as Ruby, Wally and many others.

During a short visit to the Blue Bar, Jill got to meet Muffy, a tall, blonde and emerald eyed woman who worked as the barmaid and her boss, Griffin, a man on his late 30's with a peculiar looking nose, a mustache and long black hair, tied up in a low ponytail. Both were really nice people.

Jill had been sitting at the wooden counter for a few minutes now, drinking non-alcoholic beverages (hey, it was still too early) and making friends with the charming Muffy.

"_Muffy, do you happen to know where Vesta's shop is?_", Jill asked abruptly. The blonde girl blinked, cleaning a glass with a piece of white fabric.

"_East of town, honey._", Muffy explained in her sexy, very feminine voice. "_You cross that bridge and you'll be in Vesta's store in no time._"

"_Thanks._", the brunette smiled, taking the last sip of her soda.

"_By the way, have you met her brother yet?_", Muffy asked, letting her inquisitive nature show.

"_Who, Marlin?_", Jill looked slightly annoyed. "_Yeah._"

Muffy giggled, placing the glass in it's place. "_Personally, I think he would be the perfect guy... if only he kept that pretty little mouth of his shut!_"

Both girls laughed loudly. Clearly Marlin was known around for his "tough" personality.

"_Well, I gotta go. Thanks Muffy, it was a pleasure talking to you._", Jill said, leaving the money on the counter, along with the tip.

"_Anytime, darling!_", Muffy smiled kindly as she watched Jill walk out the door of the bar.

...

That afternoon, Jill strolled across the bridge that led to Vesta's shop, happily humming a song to herself. Once on the other side of the island, she could see a large house and a barn in the distance. She also noticed the silhouette of a girl, calmly sweeping the floor in front of the store.

Jill approached the girl, who was about the same age as her (around 22 years old). She was also a brunette and had alluring chocolate eyes. She smiled brightly, letting go of her broom and adjusting the white apron she wore. "_Good afternoon! I'm Celia. May I help you?_"

"_Hey._", Jill smiled right back at the pretty girl before her. "_I'm Jill._"

"_Oh, you must be the new farmer! How exciting!_", Celia concluded. "_We were informed you would probably come by today. Do come in, Vesta is inside!_"

"_Marlin..._", the young farmer thought, figuring he was the one who had informed them of her arrival. Boy, did he know how to take care of the family's business. "_Say, Celia, do you work here?_"

"_I do indeed!_", was the reply, as Celia opened the door and let the newcomer inside.

"_So you are related to Vesta and Marlin, yes?_", Jill asked, out of curiosity. Celia looked nothing like Marlin, and she was much more pleasant than him too, apparently.

"_No, no._", Celia chuckled, stepping inside and closing the door behind them. "_I came to this island a while ago. Vesta let me live with her and I work to pay for my stay and expenses._"

"_Sounds fair._", Jill said.

"_She didn't want me to work here at first though. Not for that reason, but I insisted because I'd highly dislike to be a burden. Vesta is such a kind woman, I tell you._", Celia rambled. "_Oh, there she is_!"

Jill looked forward at the counter. There stood a tall, bulky woman around the age of 40-45ish. She had small bright eyes and wavy blonde hair tied in a low ponytail. Her eyebrows were as thick as her brother's, which gave her kind of a masculine look.

Celia took Jill's hand and walked with her towards the older woman, whose attention shifted from the bills in front of her to the two girls standing there. "_My, my. What do we have here, ladies?_"

"_Vesta, I would like to introduce you to Jill._", Celia said in her sweet tone. "_She is the new farmer in town._"

Vesta extended her hand at Jill, who took it and shook as firmly as she could. She kinda wanted to impress Vesta, knowing she was the most influent woman in town and all. "_It is very nice to meet you, Jill!_"

"_You too, Vesta._", she smiled.

Suddenly, there was a noise and the door flung open. A very sweaty Marlin came in, his white shirt unbuttoned. He looked like he had been working all day nonstop. Vesta quirked a brow at her little brother, annoyed at his manners.

"_Marlin._", she called, with authority in her tone. "_We have ladies over here. Button your god damn shirt!_"

Celia and Jill quickly turned on their heels, both blushing a little at the sight of his exposed chest. Marlin, taking notice of their awkwardness towards him, began to button up at first the bottom first three buttons of his shirt.

"_Have you been overworking yourself again?_", Vesta questioned, noticing how sweaty he looked.

Marlin rolled his blue eyes at his sister and motioned towards one of the brunettes. "_Celia._", he called in his deep voice.

"_I'll be right with you!_", Celia said almost too happily, as Marlin walked out, leaving the three girls alone. She ran her hand through her hair before turning to Jill and her boss. "_Girls, I'll leave you to it._"

Celia left the store, running after Marlin in a hurry. Vesta shook her head slowly in disappointment. "_Poor girl. She just doesn't know when to give up._"

"_What?_", Jill asked, shooting the older woman a confused glance.

"_Nevermind._", Vesta chuckled. "_Now, I'm sure you have many questions for me, yes?_"

Jill nodded, leaning against the counter. "_You have no idea. So many doubts._"

"_Well, shoot away!_"


	3. An unexpected friend

**CHAPTER 3 - An unexpected friend**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Jill and Vesta had spent the entire afternoon sharing tips about raising crops through the different seasons. For the most part Vesta was the one doing all the talking, but Jill seemed to know a thing or two. Her father had been a farmer too, and before he passed away he made sure to teach Jill the basics of his trade.

"_So, basically this is spring._", Jill said to herself, walking alone on her way back home. "_It is a good time for growing crops such as turnips, potatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and cabbage.'' _The brunette felt her stomach growl. She was reminded of how she had gone the entire day without eating.

As soon as she got home, Jill saw a few shopping bags carefully placed in front of her door. To her surprise, there was also a dog sniffing out one of them, most likely the one with the meat she had ordered.

"_Oh, hey there buddy!_", she said in a childlike tone, slowly approching the unknown dog. Jill kneeled down next to him and he allowed her to pet him, his tongue sticking out and tail wagging in a display of excitement. "_Where is your owner, cutie?_"

The dog simply pressed his snout against Jill's side, who chuckled in response. She noticed he had no collar on, or any other kind of ID. "_This is weird._"

Jill brought the dog inside, proceeding to carry her shopping bags home. She set them on the counter and pulled a package of mini sausages out. "_Are you hungry, buddy?_"

The dog barked as if trying to say yes to her question. She put the sausages on a plate and set it down on the floor so he would have them. The dog gave her a happy nudge and proceeded to feast on his delicious meal.

The young farmer stared at the canine in awe. Boy, was he hungry! "_Now... what do I do with you?_", she wondered, walking towards the telephone. Jill took the number list and fidgeted a little.

After a few attempts to reach either Rick or his younger sister Popuri, she finally gave up. Jill had no idea who to call. was apparently out of town and there were no vets living in the island yet. She bit her lip nervously.

"_I hate to do this, but..._", she sighed, picking up the phone and dialing a number. A male voice answered from the other end of the line, and she almost felt like it would be better to just hang up.

"_Who is this?_", Marlin asked, sounding annoyed.

"_Marlin, this is Jill._", she replied, trying to ignore his tone this time. "_You know, the new girl?_"

"_What do you want?_", he wanted her to go straight to the point.

"_Hi to you too!_", she hissed. "_Anyway, is Vesta home?_"

"_No. She went with Celia to have dinner with a friend of the family._", Marlin stated cooly.

"_Right._", Jill mentally slapped the shit out of herself. She knew they were out because Vesta had told her she would not be home tonight. Jill had hoped they would give up on their plans because of the rain, though. "_Damn._"

"_What is it?_", he asked.

"_Well, I'm having some sort of problem with an animal around here... I was hoping I could get some help, but since Vesta isn't home..._", she mumbled, sounding upset.

"_Guess you are out of luck, specially considering Vesta knows nothing about livestock. She only grows crops._", he reminded her.

"_Yeah. Aside from Rick and Popuri she was the only person I figured I could call, though._", Jill sighed. "_Oh well. Thanks anyway._"

"_Wait._", Marlin cut her off in a sharp tone. "_I'll be over soon._"

He had hung up on her before Jill could even think about protesting. She just stood there with her mouth hung open. The dog was done eating by now and showed up at her livingroom, brushing his nose against her leg.

"_Hey there..._", she greeted him again, crouching next to him and running her hand over his smooth, brown fur. Even if it was a stray this was one beautiful creature.

Jill looked up at her clock. 6 PM. Vesta's farm was not far away, so Marlin would be here soon. "_I guess there is still time to shower and change._", she concluded, walking towards her room.

Fifteen minutes later Jill was fresh clean and had a dress on, happy to be wearing something so light for a change. It was a simple white sundress with a blue floral print. She retied her ponytail and put on a pair of comfortable white sandals.

...

Marlin was starting to run kind of late, so Jill started to make herself some dinner. She was no cook, to be honest, and decided to stick to an easy dish such as spaghetti. She was already pouring the sauce over the pasta when she heard Marlin knocking on her door.

Jill untied her apron, which was black and read a very cliche "Kiss the Cook". She rushed towards the door, passing by the dog that was already there, barking to let her know she had visitors. Jill gave him a light pat on the head, letting him known how much of a good boy he was, before opening the door to Marlin.

He stood there, umbrella in hand and a distressed look upon his handsome features. He had walked all the way there. She had forgotten it was pouring outside.

"_Vesta and Celia took the car._", he grumbled, dismissing any formalities.

"_I see... do come in!_", Jill hurried him inside. She had to admit she was a little impressed and kind of worried about him, walking on the rain like that.

"_You said you had an issue with an animal?_", he questioned, closing the soaked umbrella and placing it near the door.

"_Yes._", she said, watching him take off his black rain cape. Marlin was surprisingly more presentable than earlier today. He had showered and was wearing black rain boots, black pants and a light blue short sleeved shirt that matched his eyes. With all the buttons properly done, by the way. Jill took his cape and hug it nearby, a few water drops hitting the wooden floor in the process.

"_This one._", she explained, nodding towards the dog that was sitting right in front of them with his long pink tongue sticking out.

"_A dog?_", he gasped. "_Seriously? I thought this was a serious problem, like a coyote or something!_"

"_I'm sorry, okay!_", Jill put a frown on. "_I didn't know who else to call. There is no vet in the island and I never took care of a pet by myself like this._"

Marlin nodded, crouching down close to the dog. "_I guess it won't hurt to check him out... what is wrong with him, anyway?_"

"_I couldn't tell._", she shrugged. "_He showed up at my door when I came back home, earlier today._"

Marlin's eyes shot up at hers. He looked startled. "_Really? This one is a stray?_"

"_Looks like it. Unless someone in the island has lost their dog recently._", Jill said, leaning against the door.

"_No..._", he shook his head, eyes now scanning the dog. "_I've never seen a dog around here before. This is the first._"

The farmer proceeded to examine the canine for a couple of minutes. He then got up, his cold gaze upon the brunette. "_I'm no expert but overall he looks okay. He is a male, by the way, and I'm guessing he is only a year old. Maybe two, I don't know._"

"_Guess I'm keeping him, then._", she stated. "_I can't let him on his own now. It would be cruel of me._"

"_I see your point._", Marlin nodded. "_If anything happens to him though, you should call a vet. Here, I have the business card of a guy that lives in a neighbor island, he offered to do check ups if we ever decided to start raising livestock. You can have it._"

He pulled a white card from his wallet and handed it over to Jill, who gave him a genuine smile for the first time since they met. "_Thank you._"

"_Uh._", he mumbled, trying to fight the blush that threatened to creep up his cheeks. Marlin was not used to having girls smile at him like that, except for Celia. "_Really, it was nothing. You are going to like having a dog around, I guess. Not only will he keep you company, but he will also keep any pests away and your livestock on the line._"

"_Sounds good._", she agreed, he had a good point. Her eyes darted towards the kitchen, and she was reminded of the meal that awaited her. "_Oops! How rude of me. Care for some spaghetti?_"

"_Oh.. you don't have to._", he said awkwardly. "_Vesta has probably left me some dinner before she took off._"

Marlin tried to reach for his cape, but was stopped on his tracks by Jill's gentle hand on his arm. "_Please. Let me thank you for helping out with Bud._"

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "_Bud? That's the name you are giving him?_"

"_Hey, it's easy to remember!_", Jill pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"_Fine._", he agreed, quirking both brows at her as she removed her hand from his arm. "_I'll stay for a bit. Who knows, maybe the rain will give it a break by the time we are done eating._"

Jill gave him a bright smile and both walked into the kitchen. Dinner time.


	4. The Blue Bar

**CHAPTER 4 - The Blue Bar**

**Disclaimer****: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Dinner at Jill's had been surprisingly pleasant. Marlin, of course, was okay with her doing most of the talking, as he was not a talktive person himself. He did however make sure to compliment her on her spaghetti, which was delicious.

Jill stood at her door waving goodbye to her visitor as he walked out of the farm. Thankfully, the rain had given them a short break. Bud barked happily as she closed the door and sighed. "_I know, I know. Maybe he is not so bad. Maybe_."

The young woman crouched to his level and allowed Bud to give her a loving lick on one of her rosy cheeks. She giggled and petted him. "_Since it might rain again tonight I guess it's safer to keep you inside._"

Bud gave her one last lick before curling into a big furball and drifting off to sleep on her carpet. Jill smiled and got up, proceeding to walk into her kitchen, aware of the fact that she had dishes to clean before heading off to bed.

She grinned to herself while cleaning one of the plates, feeling the cool water of the sink fall down on her hands. This sure had been an interesting day at Forget-Me-Not-Valley.

...

The days went by fast and Jill had finally managed to plant and tend to her very first crops. She was proud of herself. Not only that but she managed to meet most of the residents if the island by now.

Bud was now kept mostly outside and Jill had him checked with a vet. It seemed he was a perfectly healthy young mutt.

It was Saturday night and Jill decided she finally needed a break from all that hard work. Muffy, the barmaid, had advised her to stop by the Blue Bar that night. Since there was nowhere else to go the young farmer had decided it was her only option.

Jill stood in her room that afternoon and scanned through her closet for clothes. Mostly all she could find were jeans pants or overalls, and tons of plaid shirts, but she did have a dress or two in there somewhere. She finally took one out, a simple dark purple, high waisted dress with thin straps. She also decided she would put on a black cardigan, considering it was kind of chilly outside. As far as shoes were concerned, Jill picked a pair of black flats with cute bows on top of each.

Once she was done dressing up, the brunette went into her bathroom, examining her own image in the old mirror. She nodded to herself, deciding she would let her hair down for tonight.

Jill did not weak makeup often, but honestly... it was Saturday night and she needed to feel feminine for a change. She threw on some loose powder, light pink blush, mascara and pink lipstick. Natural, but not sloppy, she thought.

...

At around 9 PM Jill found herself standing at the Blue Bar's entrance. She earned a few stares and compliments from the present townsfolk, which made her blush a little. Obviously, no one here had seen her all dolled up like this before, but they seemed to approve of it.

Muffy noticed all the commotion and smiled as she saw her new friend standing there. Jill seemed a bit relieved to see a friendly face. Tonight, Muffy wore a black tube dress with a short black cardigan on top.

"_Looking good, girl!_", Muffy greeted her with a hug.

"_I can say the same about you._", Jill laughedm returning the gesture.

The blonde led her friend towards the counter and went back to her barmaid chores. Busy night.

Jill took a seat on the counter, only to find a very young looking blonde man sitting next to her. This was Rock, one of the villagers. They had only met once but did not really know much about eachother.

"_Hey there, pretty lady._", he tried to sound as charming as he could.

"_Behave._", Muffy warned him, placing a fruity drink in front of her brunette friend while looking at Rock dead in the eye. He had a reputation for being sort of a ladies' man.

Jill grinned towards him, quirking a brow questioningly. "_Are you old enough to be drinking, pal?_"

"_Very funny._", he smirked. "_I'm 23. And I happen to like girls with a sense of humor._"

She rolled her amethyst eyes at him. "_How many of these have you had, anyway?_", she pointed at the empty shot glasses in front of him.

"_Not enough to mess up my performance, y'know.._", he whispered softly in her ear, slipping a had cautiously over one of her tighs.

"_Hey mister-_", she was cut off by a strong arm coming in between Rock and her.

"_That's enough._", came the deep voice that was somewhat familiar to her by now. Jill didn't have to look to know it was Marlin, the farmer boy. "_Go home._"

Rock was about to protest, but the dangerous look in Marlin's eyes made him instantly change his mind. He shut his mouth and got up, leaving the place quietly.

Jill sighed out loud as Marlin took Rock's old seat next to her. He motioned towards Muffy, who knew him enough to know his drink of choice.

"_I think I should just go back to jeans and plaid shirts._", he heard the brunette mutter. He didn't really feel like talking, much less try to confort anyone, but he had a feeling he would have to anyway.

"_Don't sulk over this._", he stated, his eyes on the counter. "_Rock was wasted. Plus, he is a moron._"

Jill chuckled, watching as Muffy placed a glass in front of him. Pure whisky? No ice? Nothing? She made a funny face. "_Thanks, by the way.. I was about to give him the lecture of a lifetime, but I'm afraid in his current state it would be like talking to the walls._"

"_Hey, I may be a jerk, but one thing that I can't stand are guys that try to force themselves on unwilling women. Now that's just pathetic._", he grinned slightly. Marlin knew she thought he was a huge jerk. Well, at least he figured she did.

The young woman blinked, taking noice it was the first time she had ever seen him smile. "_I like that. You should loosen up more often._"

"_Shut up and finish your drink._", he mumbled, taking the glass in his hand and drinking a long sip.

...

The hours flew by and by 3 AM the bar began to close. By that time Jill and Marlin were the only costumers still there. Marlin was still sober and just a little bit light headed. It would take ridiculous amounts of alcohol to actually get that man drunk. Jill, on the other hand, was wasted out of her mind. She leaned against the counter, pretending to be holding a microphone while singing random songs.

"_I'm sorry, Marlin dear. I can't take Jill home tonight._", a very tired Muffy explained. "_Griffin really needs me to stay and help clean this place up._"

"_Clean up, uh._", he said, a thick brow quirking up at her. He grimaced.

"_YES, clean up._", she spat, blushing furiously. "_What are you implying with that tone, uh mister?_"

Marlin shrugged. "_Nothing. Well, I guess I'll have to take this one home._"

Muffy nodded and watched Marlin failing at his attempts at dragging the brunette home by the arm. She giggled.

"_That is not very nice!_", Jill would cry out, pouting and slapping his hand off before going back to her happy, singing state.

The blue eyed man was really losing the temper with this girl, Muffy could tell. He finally decided that if she was not going to cooperate, then he would have to take her home by force.

Suddenly, Jill felt herself being scooped up by a couple of strong arms. She gasped in surprise, struggling to break free from his grasp.

"_Don't you ever grow tired of making me go through so much trouble, woman?_", he grumbled, his gaze on her. She did not look intimidated by him at all, which pissed him off even more.

Eventually, Jill grew tired of struggling. Instead, she cuddled against Marlin's chest like a child, giving him a goofy smile while closing her eyes slowly. "_You smell so nice._", she muttered softly.

Muffy was watching the entire thing in amusement. Marlin shot her a look that meant he would make her pay for this, but she didn't mind. This was way too much fun.

"_Guess I'll be on my way now._", he sighed, trying not to blush as Jill cuddled up against him.

"_Don't try anything funny with her!_", the blonde joked, causing him to roll his eyes at her. God damn Muffy and her evil ways.

...

Marlin carefully carried a half-asleep Jill out of the bar. On his way to her place he would steal a glance of two at her, and she would brush her head against his chest like a sleepy kitten. Thank God no one was around to see this.

The farmer had already taken her keys from her purse, so by the time he reached her door he already had it at hand. He opened the door and was greeted by a very feisty Bud, who nudged Marlin on the leg and attempted to jump on him several times.

"_Whoa there. Shoo!_", he said, and was surprised as the dog calmed down and sat down.

Marlin placed Jill on the brown leather couch of her livingroom, assuming she was already asleep. She didn't say a word on their entire way there, he noticed.

Turning his back at her, he went to the bedroom in order to find her a pillow and clean sheets. Shortly after Marlin returned to the livingroom and placed the pillow under Jill's head, careful not to wake her up. He threw the sheets over her body and sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"_So troublesome._", he thought aloud. All of a sudden, he felt a hand pulling him forward. It was Jill, wide awake now.

"_How sweet._", she giggled, still under the effects of alcohol. "_You brought me home!_"

"_Muffy wouldn't do it._", he stated cooly. "_I was the only one left in the bar, so..._"

"_Still.. thanks._", Jill insisted. "_I owe you. Again._"

"_Forget about it._", Marlin waved her off, backing off slowly as she let go off her grip. They were too close for two people that had met only a few days ago, and this made him uncomfortable. He sat on the edge of the couch, eyeing her.

Jill sat up abruptly and pouted at him. He swore, sometimes she looked like such a child. This was disturbing him greatly. "_What?_"

"_You've been to my place three times already. You've seen me drunk and had to carry me home._", she looked deep in thought. "_Yet I barely know you._"

Marlin shook his head at her slowly. "_I obviously don't expose myself as much as you do._"

"_Do you think I expose myself too much?_", Jill frowned.

"_I never said that, Jill._", he answered. "_Everyone has their way of facing life. You are often open and cheerful, while I prefer to be on my own._"

Marlin gave the brunette a questioning look as he noticed she was now grinning at him. "_Did I say something funny?_"

"_You said my name._", she chuckled. "_I didn't even know you knew my name._"

Marlin got up from the couch, looking a bit insulted by her works. Did he really give her such a bad impression? He scowled and put his hands inside his pockets. "_Of course I know your name. How could I not? Lately you have been the one thing disturbing my peace._"

Jill put her hand on her chest, making a fake hurt expression. "_Ouch._"

He narrowed his gaze at her before turning around and taking off. She was so annoying. "_I'll see you around, Jill._"

Jill smiled. She liked the way he said her name... but she couldn't figure out the reason.

"_Good night, Marlin._"


	5. Apology

**CHAPTER 5 - Apology**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

The next day, Jill woke up with a huge headache. She managed to get some pills with Karen , the girl who worked at the supermarket, but her hungover didn't look like it would go away anytime soon.

Somehow, she managed to take care of her tasks at the farm, and had the rest of the day of. She decided she would pay Vesta's farm a visit and perhaps apologize to Marlin for making him carry her home the previous night.

Jill arrived at the seed store by the time it was closing. Vesta was already at home cooking dinner, while Celia locked the shop with her keys. She approached the other brunette and they smiled kindly at eachother.

"_Jill, good to see you!_", Celia greeted. She was always so sweet.

"_Hey Celia. How have you been?_", came the polite reply. Jill spied around, hoping to see a certain blue eyed man around, but he was nowhere in sight.

"_Pretty good, as always._", she said, taking off her white apron and throwing it over her shoulder. "_Unfortunately you came a little late today. We are closing._"

Jill shook her head. "_Actually, I came to see Marlin. Do you happen to know where he is?_"

Celia looked a little worried and taken back, as people -specially girls- usually did not come looking for the antisocial farmer often. She hoped Jill would not sense her suspicion, though. Celia had feelings for Marlin, and although she was aware they didn't have any sort of committment at all she still felt a bit protective of him, as if he was promised to her. Was it possible that the new farmer girl was interested in her Marlin? They had been strangely talktive around eachother these days. Still, Celia knew she could never be dishonest to anyone, including Jill. It was just not like her.

"_Celia?_", the farmer's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She had trailed off.

"_Yes! Sorry._", she chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "_I got a little distracted. Marlin said he would stop by the Goddess Pound after work. He likes to hang there sometimes._"

"_Cool. Thanks, Celia!_", Jill hugged her lightly. "_I was hoping I could apologize to him for yesterday._"

"_Yesterday?_", Celia cast her a suspicious glance. She had not been at the Blue Bar the night before, and it was not the kind of place she liked to hang out anyway.

"_Ah.. long story. But Marlin was a real friend and I owe him._", she blushed, ashamed of the things she had done and said while she was drunk. She was also kind of happy because apparently he was not such a huge jerk. He was someone that -maybe- she could actually trust.. I mean, he didn't tell anyone about last night by the looks of it.

Celia turned into her old cheerful self as she noticed how the other brunette had called her crush a "friend". She must have been overthinking things, as always. "_By the way... did you know his birthday is on Spring 24?_"

"_Really?_", Jill put her hands on her hips, her amethyst eyes narrowing slightly. "_That's two days from now. He never mentioned it._"

"_Marlin is the kind of guy that would rather keep it to himself._", she chuckled. "_Even when it comes to his birthday. Me and Vesta are baking him a cake. It's going to be a small celebration, but you are welcome to join us if you want._"

"_I don't want to intrude..._", Jill said, looking down at the grass. Celia was such a nice person. How come Marlin never took interest in this woman? She apparently had the full package!

"_Really, it's no big deal. I bet he will appreciate it if you show up._", Celia smiled. "_Marlin doesn't have a lot of friends, so it would be nice to have someone else over for a change._"

"_If you put it that way.. I'll come._", the young farmer nodded, allowing a small grin to creep up across her features. _"I gotta go find him. Thanks Celia, I'll see you in a couple of days._"

Celia waved as Jill ran off to meet Marlin at the pound. She deeply hoped she was right about their relationship. She deeply hoped they were just friends.

...

A few minutes later, Jill found herself stepping into the Goddess Pound area. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by nature and a peaceful atmosphere. The water was clear as could be and there was a strange aura around it. Maybe it was the power of the Harvest Goddess, as the villagers believed it to be, but Jill was still a little skeptical.

Marlin sat on the damp rocks that surrounded the pound. He had his shirt off and a pair of wet blue jeans on; the man had clearly been swimming. His wavy, short black hair was messy and dripping wet still.

"_Taking a break from work?_", Jill mocked, approaching him slowly.

His head jolted towards her, blue eyes taking in her figure. He had been so distracted with the magical beauty of the place that he did not notice her until now. "_Spying on me now?_"

The brunette rolled her eyes at him, losing count of how many times she had done this since they met at the beggining of the season.

"_Long day._", he explained. "_It was hot too._"

"_Yeah, I know._", she said calmly, sitting on a rock somewhat close to him. "_Listen, about yesterday.. I wanted to apologize for my behavior, and thank you for taking me home._"

"_You were not yourself._", he shrugged. "_It was the least I could do._"

"_I don't usually drink like that, by the way._", Jill attempted to explain herself. She wondered why she was bothering doing this, though. When did she start caring about what he thought of her? "_That drink Muffy served me was so sweet I didn't even notice when I had too much._"

"_I know. I can tell you are a casual drinker._", he grinned, but quickly switched back to his poker face. Smiling was just not his thing.

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them. It was something that Marlin could easily deal with, but it made the girl uneasy. He took notice of her disconfort.

"_So... have you made a wish to the pound before?_", he asked, scratching his hairy arm absentmindedly.

"_Not really. Do you believe that stuff?_", she quirked a brow at him, and he shrugged. Funny, Marlin did not look like the kind of guy that would bother with religion.

"_Doesn't hurt to try._", he muttered under his breath.

Jill stared at her reflection on the clear water. She felt Marlin's icy eyes on her, which almost caused her to shiver, but she managed to hold it back. "_What kind of thing do you usually ask for, then?_"

"_That's very personal._", Marlin pointed out, pulling a box of strawberries out of his backback, which was tossed nearby. "_But I can tell you that I usually offer her some fruit. They say the Harvest Goddess is specially found of strawberries._"

"_Really?_", the brunette said, as he threw her a big one. "_That's something we have in common, then!_"

Jill was about to gulp down the nice specimen of strawberry, but she felt his gaze on her intensify. She frowned at him. "_Fine! I'll make a wish._"

She closed her eyes shut, taking the moment to think. What could she possibly want that this entity could provide? Well, she IS the HARVEST Goddess. Perhaps it would be better to ask for the prosperity of her farm, then. Jill tossed the strawberry into the pound, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she could have sworn the water was glowing even more than before.

When Jill looked aside at Marlin, she noticed he had wrapped himself in a towel and was placing his things back inside the backpack. "_It's late. Vesta will be mad if I miss dinner._"

"_Marlin._", she interrupted, causing him to look at her again. "_How come you never said your birthday was coming up?_"

"_You never asked._", he scoffed, as it was a simple matter of asking. "_Also, I'm not into the whole birthday party thing. It's just another day._"

"_How old are you going to be?_", Jill asked casually.

"_Twenty-seven._", Marlin answered. It was funny how time seemed to pass him by so fast. He could still remember the first time he had celebrated his birthday at Forget-Me-Not-Valley five years ago, back when it was just him and his sister.

"_Celia invited me over. On your birthday, I mean._", she said as he trailed off. He then put on his backback and faced away from her.

"_I guess that's okay._", he mumbled.

Another pause. Jill watched him pat on his wet jeans. "_Hey.. how come you guys never got together?_"

"_What?_", he asked, looking over his shoulder at the brunette.

"_You and Celia._", she crossed her arms. "_Sorry, I know this might be too personal. You don't have to answer that._"

Marlin let a defeated sigh escape his lips and looked down at the floor. "_Celia is like a sister. I know she's got some feelings for me, but this is as far as our relationship goes._"

"_I don't understand you._", Jill said, standing up. "_She is pretty, intelligent, hard working and nice. Why would you not want somebody like that?_"

"_It... doesn't work like that, okay?_", he snapped, then attempted to calm himself down. "_Look, I gotta go. Guess I'll see you soon._"

Jill watched him disappear through the forest, her eyes wide in shock. She had no idea Marlin could be so deep when it comes to relationships. She felt bad for Celia, though. Such a nice girl, yet she had to deal with unrequited love. Life wasn't always fair.

What Jill refused to admit was that deep down, she also felt relieved that Marlin and Celia were not to become an item anytime soon.


	6. Wine

**CHAPTER 6 - Wine**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

It was finally Monday again and Jill woke up early as usual in order to work on her tasks at the farm. Her crops had grown healthy and it was almost time to have them harvested. Jill leaned against the wooden fence, wiped the sweat off her forehead and took the time to admire how her hard work was beggining to pay off.

She put her tools back where they belong and walked back home. Now all she needed was a good shower. In a question of minutes Jill was all clean again and had new clothes on: a pair of jeans shorts, a brown plaid shirt and white sneakers. She tied her hair in the usual high ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad.

Deciding she would drop by to see Muffy and Griffin that afternoon, Jill put on a light coat of mascara over her lashes and some lipgloss. Having Bud around was fun and all, but the brunette wasn't the loner kind and would rather spend her free time around human friends.

It was around 5 PM when she reached the Blue Bar. The place was still empty, and since this was a Monday Griffin did not really expect many costumers to come by. In fact, he was surprised to see Jill walking into his bar that day.

"_Hey guys._", she greeted both Muffy and Griffin, both standing behind the wooden counter.

"_Hi Jill._", the barman said. "_Give me a minute, you two. I gotta check something in the back._"

Both girls nodded ad looked at eachother. As soon as he was out of sight, Muffy raised her hand, her face showing nothing but pure excitement. Around one of her delicate, slender fingers was wrapped a rather nice diamond ring. Jill joined both hands with her friend and they began to jump and down, squealing like teenagers. "_Oh my God, oh my God, oh my Gooood!_"

"_You got engaged?_", Jill was shocked, but the surprise was a pleasant one. "_To who?_"

"_Griffin!_", Muffy smirked, noticing the look of disbelief on the brunette's face. "_It was so sudden, really! I was cleaning the place that night and he came up and gave me both the legendary blue feather and this ring! Isn't that awesome?_"

"_Hell yes!_", Jill cheered. "_But honestly, I had no idea you guys were going out!_"

"_Well..._", the blonde paused, placing a finger on her chin and looking up for a moment. She began trailing off. "_In fact, we weren't. Not oficially, you know. We shared a drunken kiss here and there, mostly during festivals, but that was it. Anyway, we knew eachother for so long and we always got along so well.. so I figured, why not, right? Plus I have been waiting for Griffin to propose for quite some time now. He is so slow!_"

The two friends laughed together, not noticing when Griffin walked back into the front. He scratched his head, watching as Jill surprised him with a friendly hug.

"_Congratulations, man!_", she smiled, as they broke the embrace.

"_So I guess Muffy already told you._", he guessed, looking at this bride-to-be. "_Really, Muffs?_"

"_Sorry, honey!_", she gave him an apologetic look. "_I'm too excited!_"

"_It's all good, heh._", the man blushed, knowing he could never be upset with her. Anyway, they weren't keeping it a secret, he just didn't like drawing too much attention to himself. "_So, Jill, can I get you something?_"

"_Just a glass of water, please._", Jill took a seat on the counter. "_I learned my lesson that night. No more alcohol for this girl, at least for a while._"

Muffy smirked and served her friend a nice cold glass of water. "_Sorry about that, by the way. I had no idea you had problems with holding your licor. How is Marlin, by the way?_"

"_Fine, I guess._", Jill said as she recalled their meeting at the Goddess Pound. "_Did you know that his birthday is coming up?_"

"_Oh gosh! I completely forgot!_", Muffy gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Griffin's look gave him away aswell.

"_Doesn't really matter, though._", Griffin added, brushing his moustache with his fingers. "_Marlin is kind of always inside his head. He just doesn't like the attention, specially on his birthday. Every year he stays home and eats cake with Vesta and that nice girl Celia, but I think that he would dismiss that too if his sister didn't insist on celebrating._"

"_I was invited._", Jill mentioned casually, before taking a sip from her water. Muffy now looked really interested, but her future husband just shrugged and walked off again into the back to take care of his own business. "_I forgot to buy him a gift, by the way._"

"_No problem!_", Muffy grinned mischievously, raising her hand. "_I know the perfect gift._"

Jill watched in silence as the blonde went into the back aswell, leaving her by herself for the next couple of minutes. She came back with a fancy bottle in her hands. "_Marlin LOVES wine! Specially this one._"

The brunette narrowed her amethyst eyes, carefully reading the label. It was some italian brand, she supposed. "_I had no idea._"

"_Trust me. Give this to him._", Muffy winked playfully. "_It will make his day._"

"_Okay..._", Jill quirked a brow at her, suspicious of her friend's ways but this time she would give Muffy the benefit of the doubt. Marlin was a recurrent costumer at the Blue Bar, so she figured Muffy knew what she was talking about. "_How much do I owe you?_"

Muffy shook her hands dismissively. "_It's on the house, honey._"

"_Muffy..._", came the protesting groan.

"_Please._", the barmaid insisted. "_Take this as compensation for getting you wasted that day._"

Jill took a deep breath, then allowed a heavy, defeated sigh to escape her parted lips. She shrugged. "_Fine, fine. But I'm only taking it because there isn't enough time to buy him something else._"

The blonde giggled, putting the bottle inside a plastic bag. She handed it to Jill, who took in the last sip of her icy water and put some tips on the counter.

"_I'll see you later. I promised Takakura I'd cook him some dinner tonight._", the brunette said, and with that she was gone.

...

**A/N:**

I know this was a rather short chapter, but it had to be done.

Aaaanyways, I'd like to thank my two first reviewers Simplegurl22 and ItalianCutie123 for their encouraging words! I'm glad you like my fanfic so far.

Next chapter: Marlin's birthday!


	7. Marlin's Birthday

**CHAPTER 7 - Marlin's**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

It was finally Spring 24, and by the time Jill arrived at Vesta's place they had already closed the seed store.

Celia opened the front door and greeted the other brunette with her signature bright smile, followed by a light hug. "_So glad you came!_"

Jill smiled at the beautiful girl before her, attempting to match her cheerful-ness. It wasn't easy, Celia was always so otherwordly kind. They let go of eachother as Vesta appeared from the kitchen and gave the farmer girl a tight hug, causing her to nearly run out of air.

"_There you are!_", the bulky woman said, letting go of Jill before she could suffocate her poor friend. Apparently, she didn't know her own strenght very well.

"_Vesta._", Jill nodded, still a bit dizzy from the embrace.

The two women took Jill into the kitchen, where a very apathetic Marlin sat, reading the newspaper. He raised his eyes over to spy upon their visitor, only to find a pair of amethyst orbs studying him right back.

"_Jill._", he said, standing up and letting the newspaper lay over the table. He didn't dare hug her or shake her hand as they were not that close yet, or at least he figured. Instead, he gave her a nod, and she was happy just to have him acknowledge her presence for a change.

"_Hey Marlin. Happy birthday!_", she replied cheerfully. "_Here, this is for you._"

Marlin blinked, taking the plastic bag in his hands. He clearly did not expect to get any birthday gifts, specially from the girl he had mistreated so much not too long ago. "_Oh.. a gift? Really Jill, you shouldn't..._"

"_Shut up and take a look, will you?_", she cut him off, placing her hands on her hips and shooting him a daring look. She impatiently tapped her feet against the floor, and he frowned.

Vesta and Celia knew Marlin well enough to know this was an embarassing situation for the young man and silently decided it would be best to leave them be. "_We will get more plates. You guys stay here and catch up._"

Marlin was sort of relieved that at least he wouldn't have to open the present in front of the two other women, but Jill stood there, wanting him to find out what she got him. Her patience was growing short.

"_God, you are stubborn._", he muttered, sitting down and pulling the gift out of its bag. A bottle? His yes scanned through the label. No, it wasn't just any bottle. It was wine, and his favourite kind, too. How did she know? "_Wow. Thanks, Jill._"

"_No problem!_", she chuckled. "_To be honest, this was all Muffy's idea. I didn't know what to get you, so..._"

"_You didn't have to get me anything._", Marlin said calmly, watching her take a seat in front of him. "_But thanks, really.. this is great._"

Jill blushed slightly as she noticed the faint smile creeping upon his handsome features. Wait.. when did she start thinking Marlin was handsome? Well, she couldn't deny he was attractive, and probably one of the most good looking bachelors in the island. Still, his personality tended to get in the way. Anyway, it was nice to see him smile for once, and Jill made an inner note to herself. She needed to thank Muffy for the idea.

Vesta and Celia came into the kitchen with more plates and glasses. The older woman took the cake out of her fridge and placed it carefully on the center of the table. It was a simple cake with a sugar crust on top of it, but it was delicious and also Marlin's favourite. Celia giggled as she put two candles on the top of the cake. A number 3 and a 7, pointing out how many years he would be from now on. Vesta lit the candles and the three girls began to sing him a birthday song.

Marlin gave the girls an awkward look. He disliked his birthday for many reasons, but those annoying songs sure were on the top of his list. Thankfully it was over soon enough, and Vesta cut the cake, proceeding to give everyone a big slice. She gave her little brother a peck on the cheek and wished him a happy birthday.

"_Now, if you two excuse us, me and Celia have some soap operas we need to catch up with._", Vesta laughed, leaving the kitchen with Celia following right behind her.

Marlin got up from his seat, taking the wine bottle from the fridge. He extended his free hand to Jill, who in return simply gave him a confused look, wondering what he was up to.

"_Let's go._", he said, although it sounded more like an order in her opinion. He was always so bossy. Jill quirked a brow at him, but took his hand and let him lead her outside, through the back door in the kitchen. Her curiosity had taken the best of her.

The blue eyed man unlocked the door of the seed shop, leading Jill in silently. She followed him to a corner, still wondering what the heck was all this about. He told her to wait there as he went behind the counter, where they kept a small frigobar. Marlin reached inside, grabbing two glasses in the process.

"_Will you please let me know what is going on?_", she crossed her arms in front of her chest as he walked towards her with glasses in one hand, and the wine bottle in the other.

"_Are you blind?_", he narrowed gaze at her questioningly. Marlin opened the bottle skillfully, proceeding to pour the dark liquid into both glasses. "_I'm sharing the wine with you. It's only fair, yes?_"

"_Oh._", she paused, taking a glass in her hand. "_I suppose that is okay._"

"_Cheers._", he muttered, raising his glass and giving her a very subtle grin. She did the same as they sipped simultaneously.

"_You have good taste in wine._", Jill smirked, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

"_I know._", Marlin shrugged, putting his blank expression back on. "_You have good taste for gifts._"

Jill smiled softly at the unexpected compliment. Funny how a little wine could make a quiet man this talktive. They were definetly making some progress. "_I already told you it was all Muffy's idea._"

"_Can't you just take the compliment?_", he growled, causing the brunette to giggle.

An hour passed by since they had opened the bottle and it was already on it's end. Jill ad Marlin remained silent for most of the time, simply enjoying the unusually peaceful atmosphere between them, but every now and then they would exchange a word or two.

Jill had found out that Marlin was also from the city, and moved in with his sister when he was diagnosed with some issue with his immune system. He was told that the pure air could help him stay healthy, and it's been working out so far. She told him a little bit about herself, how her parents got divorced a while back and how her mother took her to live in the city. Her father had been the previous owner of her farm, but ended up dying of cancer recently.

"_Sorry about your dad._", he said, but his expression was as hard to read as always. "_My father died when I was seven, but I still remember how awful it was._"

"_What happened?_", she asked, some sort of concern behind her words. She took her last sip.

"_A cold._", Marlin sighed, running his hand through his dark locks. "_He had the same condition I do now. One day he simple exposed himself too much to the bad weather and... well, you know._"

"_Wow._", she widened her amethyst eyes at him. "_Is this why everyone is so overprotective around you?_"

"_You noticed?_", he grinned. "_It's so annoying. I can't do anything without people giving me all sorts of lectures about how I should take better care of myself._"

"_I think I understand how you feel._", Jill nodded, a serious look upon her face. He glanced towards her, looking a bit surprised. Usually people did not agree with him, not when it came to his illness. That was new. "_While I do think you need to be more careful than others, I also think that it should not stop you from doing what you want. Life is supposed to be fun, isn't it?_"

Both went silent for the moment. Marlin felt relieved to finally have someone look at things his way. He gave her a small smile, which would pass by unnoticed by most people, but not by Jill. His smile was gorgeous and she felt glad to be able to see such a different side of him.

"_... but that's just my opinion, y'know?_", she chuckled awkwardly, desperately trying to break the ice. She felt her cheeks go warm and red, and she put her hands over them, surprised by the feeling. "_I think the wine is getting to me._"

Marlin placed his glass down on a stool next to him and put his poker face back on. He took a step closer to the brunette, who had full focus on him now. "_Don't make me carry you home again._"

"_I... wo..._", she tripped on her own words as he stepped even closer to her. Oh-oh. Why was it getting so steamy between the two of them? "_I won't?_"

More silence filled in the room. They stared at eachother for what felt like hours, his gaze on her so intense it almost caused her to shiver, but she held it back. Marlin watched her bite her bottom lip and felt a certain male pride on the way his closeness was making her react.

Then, reality kicked him and a voice from deep within him reminded the blue eyed man that this was not appropriate. Not at all. He frowned, taking a step back. Being courteous was not his thing, but that wine was capable of turning him into some casanova if he did not watch himself.

"_You should go home. It's getting late._", he said, leaning against the wall again. He could see she untensed slowly as he distanced himself from her frame.

"_Yeah... yeah._", Jill sighed, licking her lips as she kept her gaze on his. "_You're right._"

Jill grabbed her bag, which casually lay near her feet. She stepped forward and gave him a quick hug, followed by a peck on one of his cheeks. "_It was nice talking to you, Marlin. Again, happy birthday._"

Marlin put his hand on his cheek, which was red and burning where she had placed her lips. He watched her go, a small part of him wishing it was not so late after all.

...

**A/N:**

I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews so far! Keep them coming!

Next chapter should be up soon.


	8. Heartbreaker

**CHAPTER 1 - Heartbreaker**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

The remaining days of spring went by fast and soon enough Fall made it's powerful presence in Forget-Me-Not-Valley. It was time to grow different kinds of crops, and thanks to last season's success Jill was able to acquire some decent income from her hard work.

Thanks to the frequent visits to the Blue Bar the young farmer was also becoming incresingly popular among the villagers. She was an easy going person, so making friends was never really a challenge for this girl. One villager that Jill had become particularly close to was Rock. He was smart enough to apologize to her for his unacceptable behaviour during her first night out at the bar, and Jill had eventually gotten over the whole thing. She did not like holding grudges, anyway.

Rock had asked the brunette to be his date for Muffy and Griffin's wedding that weekend. It was already the middle of the season and the island was covered in leaves of all kinds of shades by now. It was actually the perfect time to hold a wedding, because the scenery was so breathtaking.

Hesitant, Jill had accepted her friend's request to accompany him, mostly because no one else had asked her. Gustafa was taking Nami, Gotz was taking Vesta, Lumina was going with Dr Trent, etc. Apparently everyone had gotten themselves a date for the big night.

The wedding was held at the beach, one of Muffy's most cherished spots on the valley. It was a beautiful night, although it was also kind of chilly outside. Jill wore a black male blazer, borrowed from Rock, which now hid most of her purple and black lacy bridesmaid gown.

Jill stood with Muffy behind a fancy black car. The two girls held hands and looked at eachother, both nervous and excited. Muffy was looking stunning, with her bridal makeup on, a short white dress and her blonde hair held up in a pretty hairstyle.

"_You look so beautiful._", Jill said, so happy for her best friend. She helped the blonde put on her short white veil, attaching it to her hair carefully.

"_Thank you._", Muffy held the tears back. This was probably the happiest day of her life.

Grayson showed up in a simple black tuxedo. He coughed, catching their attention instantly, then gave the two a soft smile. He offered his arm to the bride charmingly. "_Shall we go? Everyone is waiting._"

Muffy continued to fight back the wave of emotions inside her, as she let Grayson lead her to the ceremony. Muffy's father was long gone, and when she asked Grayson to walk her to the groom on her wedding day he gladly agreed.

"_This is your day._", Jill whispered to her friend, patting her on the shoulder as she passed them by. "_Enjoy it!_"

...

There ceremony had been wonderful and it was quickly over. Muffy, however, could not stop crying and nearly ruined her entire makeup. She still could not believed she managed to get married to such a wonderful man.

"_You need to calm down._", Jill laughed as she wiped her friend's face with a tissue. Both sat at a white plastic table on the sand, and there were several other tables like that scattered across the beach for the guests

"_I know.._", the bride sobbed, trying to compose herself. "_I know. I'm just so damn happy!_"

Jill chuckled and took a moment to look around. Rock, her date for the night had been sitting and chit chatting with Gustafa, Nami and Lumina. He wa laughing about something. On the next table, Vesta, Takakura and Gotz discussed the island's next big event. Finally, Jill let her gaze fall upon the furthest table, where a very bored Marlin sat, besides Celia. He was looking very good in his black tuxedo (which he found to be extremely embarassing and uncomfortable, but wore it anyway so it would not piss his sister off), while Celia herself was also very pretty, sporting a salmon pink ruffled dress with a short white cardigan on top. They both were quiet, but the brunette looked like she was content just to be able to be by his side.

"_Did he bring Celia to the wedding?_", Jill asked casually, pointing towards the two. "_Because he doesn't look like he's being good a good date at all._"

Muffy chuckled, her tears now dry. "_Marlin always brings Celia to these things. He knows she likes to go out every now and then, so he is kind enough to tag along, but it's not like Marlin enjoys all the socializing._"

"_Really?_", Jill mumbled, playing with the straw of her cocktail, which was placed in front of her. She used her other hand to support her chin, which gave the girl an unusual aloof expression.

"_I'd say they have some sort of brother and sister thing going on._", the blonde added, shifting her green orbs towards her bridesmaid. "_But that's only because Marlin prefers things to stay that way, if you know what I mean._"

"_Yeah. He told me about that before._", came the distracted response. Jill sipped on her drink, watching as Muffy threw her a dirty look. "_...what?_"

"_You and Marlin sure have been keeping in touch, eh?_", the blonde smirked, squeezing Jill's cheek playfully.

"_Hey, cut that out!_", the brunette squealed, lightly smacking her friend's gloved hand away. "_Don't be getting any wrong ideas. I haven't really talked to him since his birthday. I've been busy, and it's not like we are friends or anything._"

"_What about Rock?_", asked a very interested Muffy. "_Anything going on with the pretty boy?_"

"_Muffy!_", Jill widened her eyes and scowled. "_Stop it! There is nothing going on. I'm not seeing anybody, and I don't plan to anytime soon. I'd rather concentrate on my work than waste my time with silly romances._"

"_Okay, okay! Sorry!_", Muffy grinned, sticking out her tongue.

Rock showed up behind them with a very dizzy Lumina stumbling behind him. She didn't look so good.

"_Guys, I'm gonna take off._", he sighed, pointing towards the poor girl. "_Lumina is not feeling okay and her date has already gone home. I'll drop her off._"

Jill and Muffy nodded, waving as the two left the beach. Griffin arrived shortly after, taking a seat next to his cherished new wife.

"_I'm gonna go for a walk._", the brunette smiled, standing up. She walked away slowly, allowing the couple to have some alone time.

...

Jill strolled alone across the beach, noticing it was getting late and most of the guests were gone by now. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she sat down in the sand. Maybe she should have waited until the next day to return that cozy blazer to Rock.

The sound of steps and shifting sand behind her had surprised the young woman, and she turned around to see what it was. Marlin stood there, looking down at her with his alluring blue eyes and his hands on his pockets. He calmly took off his own blazer and tossed it at her.

_"Don't be silly. You will catch a cold if you keep wandering around just in that thin dress._", he mumbled, taking a seat next to her.

Jill hesitantly put on his blazer, secretly thankful because she was indeed freezing. She tossed him a confused look when she noticed he was lacking something. More like someone. "_Where is Celia?_"

"_Left with Vesta ten minutes ago._", he replied, now staring aimlessly at the sea in front of them. The moon light reflected upon the dark waters, and the sound of the waves crashing weakly against the sand. The whole scenery soothed his soul, and in response he emanated an unusual peaceful aura.

The brunette felt silent, wondering wondering what to say next. It was never really easy being around Marlin, as he was a man of few words, which often meant she was the one meant to lead their conversations.

"_I think it's sweet._", she said abruptly, cutting him off his trance. Jill could tell that now he was looking at her from the corner of his eyes, and that she had his attention. "_It's nice of you to take her on those thins even though you'd rather not to. You are a good friend to Celia._"

Marlin said nothing. Instead, he chose to nod and look down, his fingers tracing something in the sand.

"_I wonder, though..._", Jill carried on with her thoughts. There was a certain hint of worry in her voice, and he could tell. "_Aren't you afraid you might be leading her on? Even if you mean well._"

Marlin frowned, turning his head towards her. She did not look at him though, and preferred to watch the moon instead. Jill was getting too personal again, and he found it ironic how they barely knew eachother, yet she always seemed to make him open up.

"_Celia kissed me._", he finally said, his voice low. She blinked and waited for him to carry on with whatever he wanted to share with her.

"_She kissed me once. That was two years ago. I told her I was unsure of my feelings about her until it happened, but that had changed things._", Marlin explained, closing his eyes. It was hard for him to talk about this subject, but he barely got the chance to vent.

"_How so?_", Jill asked, cocking her head towards him. What did he mean by that changed things? Did he feel something else besides friendship for Celia, after all? Jill felt a sickening feeling deep inside her, but she did not really know what it meant, nor did she want to find out for the time being.

"_It was clear to me after she did that._", he spoke, furrowing his brows. "_I have no romantic feelings for her. The kiss only confirmed my suspicions. I wouldn't know before that, because I always cared about her in a way, but since I've never been in love with anybody it was hard to figure it out._"

Jill tilted her head slightly, to the side, watching him with a surprised look. Marlin had never been in love? He must really be a loner kind of guy, she thought. Although Jill herself had never fallen for anybody.. in fact, she had been infatuated at best.

"_I usually don't like to explain myself, but I thought I'd make that clear. I don't want anybody thinking me and Celia have something going on because that could stain her reputation._", he added. "_I'm not the kind of guy that would lead a girl on, anyway._"

She smiled softly at Marlin and got up, shaking the sand off her legs and dress. He looked up at her, quirking a brow inquiringly.

"_Mind if I return this tomorrow?_", Jill asked, fidgeting at the blazer's collar.

"_It's okay. I'm not wearing it again anytime soon, I suppose._", he replied cooly, propping himself up. The two walked away quietly, going towards different directions. It had been a long night and now they needed some rest.

Later that night, Jill fell asleep with the wedding's clothes still on. It felt good to sleep like this. It felt good to fall asleep on his scent.


	9. Winter Arrives

**CHAPTER 1 - Winter arrives**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

The year seemed to go by in a fast pace, and Jill worked hard as usual in order to estabilish herself in the market. During Fall she managed to grow quite a few nice looking pumpkins, but didn't place at the top three during her first Contest. The competiton was tough.

When winter finally arrived, the valley was covered in pure white snow, and it became surprisingly cold. Jill could not grow any crops that season, so she limited herself to feeding the livestock she managed to buy with her savings: three chickens and two cows. Takakura also helped, which meant this season Jill tended to have lots of free time to pursue other interests. Per example, she got into mining, and the ore she found inside the caves made her some good extra cash, which Jill could definetly use considering most of her income relied on crops.

Life in Forget-Me-Not-Valley went as usual, although it seemed every now and then a newcomer or visitor would show up. The farmer, of course, was always glad to make new acquaintances.

One day, Takakura knocked on her door during breakfast. Buddy barked and Jill shooed him, allowing her old friend to come inside. She offered him a cup of coffee, which he happily accepted.

"_So, what's up_?", she said calmly, sitting down on the table, taking the seat across from him. "_It's funny, although you live next door you still don't drop by so often._"

"_I know._", he smiled, taking a sip from his warm coffee mug. "_I need a favor._"

"_A favor_?", Jill questioned, placing her mug on the table. She watched as Takakura handed her an envelope.

"_I owed Vesta some money, and I'm finally able to pay her off._", the old man rambled. "_The money is in the envelope, but I can't take it to her right now. I'm going to be gone for a week._"

"_Really? And you are going today?_", she was surprised to be hearing this just now, coming to the conclusion that she would not have him help her for a few days. No biggie.

"_Yes, I'm sorry for leaving on such short notice._", he sighed, but she waved him off. He knew Jill could take care of her own business, but he was almost like a father figure to her so he felt kind of bad for leaving the girl on her own. "_My daughter lives in the city, I have to pay her a visit. Her husband called me last night and told me she is very sick. They are going to the doctor today, but I want to go there and see what's up with my own eyes._"

"_Oh my, I hope she gets well then!_", Jill frowned, clearly worried. "_And yes, you should definetly go check up on her! Family should always come first._"

Takakura smiled softly at the young farmer, and drank the rest of his coffee before he decided to get up and leave. They said their goodbyes and Jill wished him and his daughter good luck.

When Jill came back into the kitchen, she looked at the table, where the white envelope laid. She was reminded that she was supposed to take it to Vesta, and decided to do so right now as she didn't have any extra work to attend to anyway.

The brunette put on a gray dress, black knit tights, black leather boots and a long dark coat on top so she would not freeze outside. Her hair was tied up as usual, and once she grabbed her bag she figured she was good to go.

"_See you later, boy!_", she blew Buddy a kiss before leaving the house hastily.

...

As promised, Jill dropped by Vesta's in order to deliver the envelope Takakura had left her. It was still early and the shop was open, so this is where the brunette decided to head off to.

"_Hey there, Jill._", greeted the bulky woman from behind the counter. Celia sweeped the floor nearby, and simply gave their visitor a welcoming smile.

"_Hey! I'm here to give you this._", Jill said, taking the envelope from her purse and placing it in front of Vesta, who calmly took it in her hands. "_It's from Takakura._"

Vesta nodded, studying the envelope before placing it back on the counter. "_Thank you, dear. I think I know what this is about. How is Takakura, by the way?_"

"_He's good. But he had to leave the island today, and he might be away for a week. His daughter is sick._", the young farmer sighed, earning a concerned look from the two other women.

"_I hope it's nothing bad!_", Vesta said.

"_Yeah, me too._", Jill agreed, nodding her head. "_Anyway.. how have you been?_"

The older woman looked out the window and let a loud sigh of lament escape her lips. Her fingers tapped lightly against the wood. "_Well, you know. Not growing any crops out there, and seeds don't really sell well during this season. I have a small covered place where I grow some special crops though, so I have been able to make some profit, but we still have to save up during winter. It's never easy during this time of the year._"

"_You should raise livestock. It's what's been keeping my business running for the time being. That and some mining on my free time._", the brunette rambled, placing a finger on her chin.

"_I don't know. I'm not really into taking care of animals._", Vesta replied, her head resting on her hands. "_Well, I might do it sometime in the future, but I can't say for sure. What I really like to do is growing and tending to my crops._"

Jill smiled, and turned towards Celia, who was placing the broom on a corner so she could take a break from all the sweeping. Celia patted her apron and blinked as she noticed her friend staring at her. "_Yes?_"

"_Uh. Where is Marlin? I figured during winter you guys stay inside the shop during business hours._", Jill tried not to sound too interested, because she knew Celia had feelings for the guy and could mistake her curiosity for something else.

"_Last time I saw him he was still at home having breakfast. He got up a little late today, I guess the cold weather makes him sleepy!_", the girl chuckled.

"_I think I will go say hi. I haven't seen him in a while, anyway._", Jill said, reminding of how busy she has been with raising livestock and mining. She and Marlin were not friends, but they were not complete strangers after all and it was only polite to show her face every once in a while.

The brunette left the store, not noticing a very concerned looking girl being left behind. Celia felt Vesta's hand on her shoulder as she wondered if she should be worried about anything or if she was just being paranoid as usual.

...

Knock, knock, knock. No answer.

A very impatient looking Jill stood in front of Vesta's house, tapping her feet against the floor. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and quirked a brow, wondering what was taking Marlin so long. Eventually, she threw her hands up in the air and gave up, figuring that there was a chance he wasn't home anymore. Maybe he was somewhere around the farm?

The brunette strolled across the property, her amethyst eyes searching frantically for him. He was nowhere near the fields where the crops used to grow. She walked further into the farm, surprised to see a lonely barn in the distance. She had never explored Vesta's farm that further, so she figured this was the place where she grew her special crops.

As she approached the barn, Jill could make out the silhouette of a man in the distance. She assumed it was who she had been looking for, and hurried towards him. She was surprised to meet a very pale looking Marlin, kneeling down on the ground with his hands over his mouth. He coughed repeatedly and felt so bad he did not even realize someone else was there. "_Oh my god, Marlin! You look so pale! Are you alright?_"

Jill kneeled beside him, rubbing his back gently. Her face reflected pure worry, and while still coughing he managed to open his eyes and take desperate a look at her. Marlin gasped one last time before collapsing, which nearly caused the girl to jump back in surprise. She grabbed his gloved hands, which had some blood on them. Some of the red liquid also poured down his chin.

"_Marlin! Wake up!_", she cried out, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, but he would not open his eyes again. She felt a deadly despair grow inside her and knew she had to get help.

"_Vesta! VES-_", the brunette felt a hand covering her mouth, and she instantly turned towards him. Marlin was wide awake again and managed to sit down, although he did still look a bit dizzy.

"_Don't._", he said, and let go of her. He wiped the blood off his chin with his arm, smearing it all over his navy blue coat.

Jill looked dumbfound. She held his arms in a surprisingly strong grip and he cringed at the feeling, eyes shooting up at her daringly. "_What? We need to get your sister! You are sick!_"

"_I'll be fine._", he waved her off, his gaze almost as cold as the weather itself. "_Don't get Vesta. This will only cause unnecessary trouble._"

Marlin tried to stand up and prove his point, but he felt a sharp pain shoot through his body and collapsed once again. He growled and felt a judging gaze upon him.

"_Why are you acting like this?_", she sounded both worried and annoyed by his ways. "_Please, let me get some help._"

"_I'm fine, really. I just need to lay down for a while._", Marlin said as he sat up again. "_This happens sometimes, because of the weather. I'm used to it._"

"_Still... people don't just collapse because of the weather, Marlin._", Jill rolled her eyes while placing a hand on his forehead. He was freezing, as she suspected. "_What were you up to, anyway?_"

"_I was carrying some seed bags to the store._", he mumbled as she looked around, not having noticed the heavy bags scattered around him on the floor.

"_You probably overworked yourself... well, at least let me help you get home. You really should lay down._", she said, retreating her hand.

"_No._", he insisted firmly. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why did he need to cling so bad to his male pride, but untensed slightly as his gaze softened upon her. "_Look... I can't let Vesta see me in this state. She would freak out and lecture me about how I should avoid working like this during the winter. I know she is right, but I really don't want to hear it right now._"

Jill sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, finally giving in. Marlin really hated being reminded of his condition, and she wasn't going to push this matter any further. "_Okay.. well... I can't just leave you alone like this. You need to recover._"

The brunette propped herself up and offered Marlin her hand. He hesitantly took it and she helped him up. "_Thanks..._", he mumbled under his chilly breath.

"_How about this?_", she patted his coat, shoving the snow off, then aimed her gaze up at him. "_You can rest at my place. No one will find out._"

Marlin quirked a brow at her, taking a step back. He then paused, deep in though, a finger scratching the traces of growing beard on his chin. He was never really good at shaving. "_Hm.. I don't know..._"

Jill was actually surprised to find him considering the possibility of crashing at her place. Marlin was a ridiculously stubborn guy and in her mind she was almost sure he would refuse right away. "_You can tell your sister you were taking a walk around town or something. You know, so they won't suspect anything._"

"_I guess._", he nodded. "_Fine... I have a feeling you won't leave me be, so I'll just give in this time._"

"_Good!_", she smiled brightly, and he gave her an awkward look. "_Oh, don't look so annoyed. I'm just trying to look out for you._"

"_Thank you.. I think._", he grumbled, looking down at the snow on the floor. The brunette stepped towards him and suddenly began to reach inside the pockets of his coat. He gasped in protest and held her wrists away from him. "_Woman, what are you doing?_"

"_Looking for you car keys. You own a pickup, yes?_", she questioned, looking up at him and breaking bree from his grasp. Luckily, he was weak at the moment so he did not hurt her or anything.

"_I can walk._", Marlin growled, unsure of his own words. Could he?

"_No, you can't._", she chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. He scowled at her, clearly annoyed. "_Oh, come on. You have a car, let's use it._"

"_Fine!_", he reached inside his pocket, grabbing the keys and proceeding to throw it at her. Jill smiled as she grabbed the keys in mid air.

They took off with Marlin's pickup hurriedly, heading towards Jill's place.


	10. Talk

**CHAPTER 10 - Talk**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

That afternoon at the farm had been surprisingly pleasant. Marlin was hesitant at first, but he desperately needed some rest and ironically enough Jill was the only one he could rely on. The last thing he wanted was to have Vesta see him in this condition, because he knew if his disease didn't kill him she would. The older woman tended to get really worked up when her brother acted so reckless, ignoring the doctor's recommendation of not overworking himself, specially during that time of the year.

Jill had spent the day tending to the blue eyed man, who laid in her bed. She could tell he was tense for letting her see him in such a pathetic state, but tried her best to just leave him alone for most of the time. She only dared intrude a couple of times, once to give him some medicine, and the other in order to feed him some soup.

A few hours later Marlin decided he was fine enough to go back home and took off. He thanked Jill for letting him rest at her place, telling her someday he would repay her for her kindness.

The next day Jill decided she would pay Marlin another visit, just so she could check up on him. He was leaning against the walls outside of the seed shop, drinking a warm cup of coffee. He saw her coming his way and raised his hand calmly, greeting the girl in silence.

"_Hey.. I was worried about you, so I decided to drop by._", she gave him a small smile, stopping next to him. "_How are you feeling?_"

"_I'm good. Much better now._", he nodded, drinking his coffee slowly. "_Do you want to come inside and have some coffee?_"

The brunette blinked, surprised by how friendly he was acting. Marlin was definetly beginning to soften up to her. "_Sure._"

The two farmers went inside, heading straight to Vesta's kitchen. The house was empty as its residents were currently working at the shop, as usual. Marlin filled a cup with warm coffee and handed it over to Jill, who thanked him and placed it in front of her on the table.

"_I told them I went to the pound yesterday, to do some thinking._", he said casually, taking the seat across from her. "_They know I usually go there to be alone, so they didn't get suspicious or anything._"

"_I'm glad to hear it._", Jill sipped on her coffee, then carefully placed it down again. "_But really, Marlin, you should go see Dr Trent or something. You were coughing blood, you know._"

"_Nah, I just overdid it on the work. I'll try to take it easy from now on._", Marlin sighed, scratching the back of his head. He felt Jill's doubtful gaze upon him, and he gave her an awkward grin. "_I mean it._"

"_Well, you're not a kid anymore._", she shook her head, not entirely convinced he could watch his own back. "_If you say so..._"

They paused their conversation for a moment, enjoying the warmness and the taste of the coffee. It was specially good in the winter. The aroma was delicious, too. Jill shot her eyes up at the blue eyed man as she felt his gaze upon her. He blushed slightly.

"_Uh.._", he mumbled, tapping his fingers anxiously against the table. "_Thank you for lending me your bed yesterday._"

"_You've thanked me enough, Marlin._", Jill chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood.

"_Yeah, but no one had been this kind to me before._", he said, a shy smile creeping up his lips. "_Well, except for my sister and Celia. I guess... what I'm trying to say is..._"

Jill quirked a brow at the man before her, drinking another gulp of coffee. He shifted his eyes at the wall, trying not to look at her. She could tell he was embarassed about something, and he was about to blurt it out.

"_You are a good friend._", he finally said, furrowing his brows and letting his gaze rest upon her face once more. This caused Jill to grin and rest her head on her hands, her elbows on the table.

"_Really? We are friends now?_", she mocked him. "_Not too long ago I remember you kept saying how troublesome I am._"

"_You are._", he scowled, but it quickly faded into a mischievous grin. "_But you're a good friend, regardless of how much trouble you cause me. I think._"

Jill chuckled and got up from her seat, leaving the coffee mug on the table. She thanked him for inviting her over and left the house, explaining she had some work to get done at her farm before the day ended.

"_You are a good friend too, Marlin._"

...

By the end of the afternoon, Jill was done with whatever she had to do. She walked back home, but was surprised by a concerned looking Celia standing at her door. She gulped, noticing the farmer approaching her hastily.

"_Celia?_", Jill called, stopping at the entrance to her place. She could hear Buddy barking from inside. "_What are you doing here?_"

"_Hm.. hey Jill._", she greeted with a dying smile, and Jill could tell something was wrong. "_Can I come inside? We need to talk._"

"_Oh. Okay._", the young farmer said, opening the door and leading her friend inside. They passed by Buddy, who now sat by the couch, spying on them with typical curiosity.

Jill and Celia sat at her kitchen, both going silent for a while. Celia seemed to be lost in her thoughts, and Jill just sat there wondering what was up.

"_Do you want me to make you some coffee, tea or..._", Jill asked politely, earning Celia's attention.

"_No, no. Thank you._", Celia waved her hands in front of her dismissively. "_I'm good._"

"_You said we need to talk?_", the other brunette asked, deciding to go straight to the point then. "_Is something up?_"

"_Well.. kinda? I don't know._", came the confused reply, and Celia flidgeted with a hair strand absentmindedly. She was acting so weird. "_Jill, I need to ask you something._"

"_Yeah?_", Jill quirked a brow, interlacing her own fingers. Why was she beating around the bush so much?

"_Is something going on? Between you and Marlin, I mean._", Celia asked out of the blue, her eyes showing pure determination now.

Jill's mouth formed an O, and she went completely silent for a moment. She then made a weird expression and began to crack up. She was laughing so hard.

"_What?_", Celia cringed, wanting to know what was so funny about her question.

"_Me and Marlin?_", the farmer chuckled, shooting her friend an ironic look. "_Seriously? We barely know eachother._"

"_Really?_", she pointed a finger accusingly at Jill, cutting her laugh off. This was not funny for her, not at all. "_Cause you too seem to be really talktive around eachother, for two people who are just acquainted._"

Jill frowned at Celia, who did the same right back at her. It was like a staring competition between those two.

"_Okay. I'll admit that we are friends. Sort of._", Jill coughed, finally admiting it. "_But there is nothing going on, romantically I mean._"

She was relieved to see Celia's gaze soften, and the two friends untensed. Celia hated to be intrude so much, but this was the man she was in love with for years they were talking about!

"_I'm sorry._", she said, shaking her head slowly and looking down at the surface of the table. "_I'm so silly. I guess I got jealous of your relationship with him._"

"_It's okay, dear._", Jill assured her, placing her hand on top of Celia's. They smiled at eachother. "_People do weird things when they like someone._"

"_Marlin deserves to have friends. Specially a good friend like you._", Celia added, squeezing the other brunette's hand. "_I saw you two talking earlier today, and he seemed so comfortable around you. Usually he just keeps it to himself..._"

"_Maybe making new friends will soften him up a little._", Jill laughed, and Celia grinned at her. It was hard to picture Marlin suddenly becoming an open book.

...

Once Celia was gone, Jill cooked herself some dinner and placed some food on Buddy's bowl. She sat on her couch, letting out a tired sigh, and turned on the TV. The shopping channel was on, and she made a mental note to buy her home some new stuff in a near future.

She then laid down, staring at the ceiling and thinking about her day. Even though Celia had already been rejected, she insisted on acting like Marlin belonged to her. She didn't want to say it out loud, but Jill was a little mad at her friend for acting so childish and not being able to move on like everybody else did. She crossed her arms and pouted, even though nobody else was there so see it.

"_What if I did want to have something else with him?_", she thought aloud, closing her eyes and furrowing her brows. "_It's not like she's got anything to do with it._"

Jill rolled on her side and peered at her dog, which sleeped quietly on the carpet. It was his favourite spot. "_Then again, I don't want to hurt her. And honestly.. me and Marlin? He is just so... ugh. He is different._"

Buddy popped an eye open, only to see his mistress still up and talking to herself. He lazily got up and walked over, taking a seat next to her. She smiled and petted his head. "_We would be no good for eachother, right? I like long, meaningful talks and he can barely greet people on the streets._"

The dog barked in response, then proceeded to nudge Jill's neck, causing her to grin and hug him tightly.

"_You know what? Who cares? You are my true soulmate, Buddy!_"


	11. Winter Thanksgiving

**CHAPTER 11 - Winter Thanksgiving**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

The next day was a Friday, and Takakura had already returned from his trip to the city. He walked in on Jill while she was feeding her cows, and she was surprised to see him there so early.

It turns out Takakura's daughter was not sick at all. In fact, the doctor found out she was one month and a half pregnant! Takakura was thrilled to know he would become a grandfather, of course. Jill congratulated him, and he left to unpack.

That night, the young farmer decided she would pay a visit to her best friend Muffy and her husband at the Blue Bar. She quickly took a shower and put on some jeans, white sneakers, a brown turtleneck top and one long black coat over it all and left the house.

Muffy was very happy to see her friend that night, and they chatted happily while the blonde worked behind the bar. They were so caught up in their gossiping that no one noticed Marlin sulking in a corner at the counter, drinking whisky as usual.

Once their conversation about how Gustafa and Nami had finally gone official as a couple was over, the barmaid leaned slowly towards the brunette and gently tucked a strand of brown hair behind one of Jill's ears. She turned towards Marlin, aware how he was trying to pass by unnoticed by the locals, and grinned. "_Say, Marlin, doesn't Jill look lovely tonight?_"

Marlin cocked his head towards the annoying girl and furrowed his brows. He didn't seem to understand her point. Jill, however, got worked up and slapped her friend's hand away, narrowing her gaze at her. "_Muffy!_"

"_What? You do._", she laughed, quickly retracting her poor hand. She really loved to tease Jill, as she was like a little sister to her. "_Dear, Winter Thanksgiving is so close and you need to get yourself some male attention! Even if it comes from cold hearted Marlin here._"

The blue eyed man scoffed at her, turning his head away as he decided not to take part in this ridiculously conversation. The brunette eyed him for a moment, then shot a questioning look at Muffy.

"_Winter Thanksgiving?_", Jill said, placing a finger to her bottom lip. "_Isn't that the holiday when girls give the boys they like chocolate and all that?_"

"_Yes, and I know you enough to assume you are not giving anyone any chocolate this year_.", the blonde replied, crossing her arms in front of her ample chest. "_Your love life is so boring, Jill._"

"_Well, duh._", Jill rolled her eyes, her head now resting on her hands. "_Anyway, I thought only schoolgirls did that._"

"_In the city, maybe._", the barmaid said as she grabbed a glass from the counter and began cleaning it with some white tissue. "_But in Forget-Me-Not-Valley everyone does it. You don't even have to give it just to your romantic interest, you can also give it to your friends and family just to let them know you carry them in your heart._"

Jill watched as her friend happily began to mumble a song to herself. Muffy turned around, starting to arrange some bottles on the shelves, but she kept humming. "_This year, however, I'm only giving chocolate to my dear Griffin!_"

The brunette smiled at her friend, glad to see her marriage was working out. She lightly tapped her fingers against the wooden counter and lost herself in her thoughts, her eyes shifting through the many colored bottles. "_I might make some chocolate this year, then..._", she thought aloud, then glanced towards Marlin from the corner of her eyes. He wasn't looking back at her, but he's definetly been listening. "_Marlin, do you like chocolate?_"

He gave her a side look and traced the whisky glass with his fingers. "_I'm not a fan._"

"_Hmm.._", she simply nodded, and like that she was lost in her own mind again. Thankful to see she was not going to drag this subject any further, he put some money on the counter and took off in silence.

Muffy turned around only to notice he was gone, and allowed her gaze to meet her best friend once more. Jill had snapped out of whatever she had in mind and frowned slightly as the blonde shot her a mischievous grin. "_What now?_"

"_I have a recipe book you can borrow._", Muffy said, winking at her friend.

...

The next day, a Saturday, was already Winter 14 and all the girls walked around town in order to give their family, friends and possible lovers some home cooked chocolate. Jill decided to go for some nice truffles she learned to make by reading Muffy's recipe book. She gave them to all the male villagers she knew and thanked them for being so amazing to her on her first year at Forget-Me-Not-Valley.

Despite of what Marlin had told her the past night, she insisted on dropping by Vesta's and give him some too. They were friends after all, he said it himself, and she wasn't going to let his stubornness keep her from including him in her Thanksgiving day.

Vesta and Celia sat outside in a bench, enjoying the beautiful winter scenery. Vesta was reading the newspaper, while the younger girl knitted something patiently.

"_Hi Jill!_", Celia brightened up as the farmer approached the two of them. Jill waved at them and stopped close to the bench.

"_Hey Celia, hey Vesta._", Jill smiled. "_I've been running around town to give some friends their chocolate. Is Marlin home?_"

"_You're out of luck, dear._", Vesta said. "_He left a while ago, and I don't know where he went._"

"_By the way, Marlin is not that crazy about chocolate._", Celia added, raising whatever she was knitting in order to show her friend what she was doing. "_I knit for him every year because I know he'll leave the chocolate I give in rotting on the fridge for months._"

Jill sighed, impressed by how inconsiderate he could be sometimes. "_Yeah, so I've been told. But I'm trying to get into the whole Thanksgiving spirit thing, and it's the intention that counts, isn't it?_"

"_I guess you are right._", Celia smiled innocently, then began knitting again.

"_I think I know where he is, so I'll go search for him. Talk to you guys later!_", the young farmer said as she walked away.

Celia frowned sadly as she watched Jill run off somewhere else. She placed the sweater she was knitting down on her lap and looked up at Vesta with concern in her chocolate brown eyes. "_I know that they are just friends, but why does she care so much?_", she said softly, trying not to sound so obviously upset.

"_Who knows?_", Vesta shrugged. "_But I know one thing, dear.._." The bulky woman entwined her fingers with Celia's silky brown locks, like a mother grooming her child's hair. She put on a serene expression, and Celia looked down at the floor. "_You need to move on. You are so young, Celia... you can get any guy you want._"

"_But why not him?_", Celia protested, clenching her fists tightly against against her skirt. "_Why does he not want me?_"

"_You don't choose who you give your heart to, darling._", Vesta chuckled, patting her head lightly. "_I'm sure if he could Marlin would go for you, because the last thing he wants is to make you upset. But he's not interested, and it's about time you go after someone else. Someone who really appreciates your love._"

Celia fell silent, taking in Vesta's wise words. She knew it was true, she needed to stop obsessing over this man so much, but it's not like some silly schoolgirl crush you can easily get over. She had been in love with Marlin for years, and it wasn't going to go away like that.

"_I guess you are right._", Celia sighed, taking the sweater in hands once more.

...

Once out of Vesta's property, Jill had decided to go straight towards the forest area, west of the village. She was almost sure Marlin was in his usual hang out spot, and she was determined to make him accept her god damn chocolates. If they really were friends, he would have to suck his pride up and take it, wouldn't he?

She took a deep breath as she entered the place were the Goddess Pound was located, and found herself surrounded by the mystic area it held. The pound itself, however, was frozen because of the weather. Marlin laid down in one large rock by the water, while reading some book. He closed it once his eyes met her amethyst ones, and he quickly sat up.

"_I had a feeling you would not let me off the hook._", he grumbled, clearly not pleased, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

She rolled her eyes at him and smirked, taking a seat on the same rock. Both shifted uncomfortably so there was enough personal space for the two of them. Jill reached inside her pocked, taking out a small plastic bag tied up with a cute purple bow. He didn't have to look to close to know what was inside.

"_Here._", she handed the bag over to him, but he waved her off dismissively.

"_I told you before, I'm not that much into chocolate._", Marlin scoffed as he shot her his cold, signature gaze.

"_You are my friend, yes?_", she asked, and he nodded hesitantly. "_So shut up and please take my chocolate._"

"_Geez, if you are asking me so nicely.._", he mumbled, snatching the bag from her gloved hands.

"_Eat one._", Jill demanded abruptly, before he could place it inside his pocket. He growled in frustation, but decided to cooperate.

Marlin took of the bow and scanned the contents of the bag. There were about five chocolate truffles, and they didn't look so bad considering Jill was not the best cook around. He took one out and placed it inside his mouth, chewing on it slowly. Jill watched him anxiously as he gulped it down. A small grin formed upon his lips, and she knew she had done something right. "_Wine filled truffles? How unusual._"

"_I know, right?_", she chuckled. "_Muffy taught me this recipe, so I decided to give it a try._"

"_That woman is full of tricks up her sleeves._", he said, eating another truffle. He definetly was not that much into sweets, but whatever contained wine in its recipe earned certain points with him.

"_I used your favourite wine for these truffles, too._", she added, taking pride in her gift. "_For every different person I used a different recipe. Not everyone shares the same taste, of course._"

"_You are very considerate._", Marlin let out a compliment, too caught up in the delicious taste of his favourite wine that he did not notice he had loosened up.

"_I know. I'm awesome._", she laughed, pretending to be cocky, but he could sense her sarcasm.

"_Thank you for the chocolate. Next year I'll return the favor, for sure._", he smiled softly, tying the bag once again and carefully placing it inside his coat's pocked.

Jill jumped off the rock and looked at him from behind her shoulder. She winked playfully. "_Don't worry about it._"

And with that, she was gone.

...

**A/N:**

I've had lots of free time lately, which is why the chapters keep coming up so fast. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, because I sure do enjoy writing it!

xoxo


	12. Starry Night

**CHAPTER 12 - Starry Night**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

On Winter 23, Jill woke up to someone ringing the bell. She got up and still in her lilac pajamas strolled into her livingroom. An amethyst eye spied through the peepwhole, catching sight of her best male friend, Rock. She yawned loudly, opening the door for him.

"_Jill, it's already 10 in the morning. Why were you not up yet?_", he grinned, stepping inside as she gave him enough room to pass.

"_It's winter._", she mumbled, closing the door behind them. "_Give me a break._"

The tan man laughed, not knowing until then how moody she could get in the morning. He threw himself across the couch and she eyed him suspiciously.

"_What's up?_", Jill asked while she rubbed her face, trying to shake the drowziness off.

"_I gotta ask you something._", he said, running his fingers across his smooth locks.

The brunette nodded slowly and held a hand up, signalizing for him to wait. She walked into the kitchen and made herself some coffee, otherwise she'd get too grumpy to be able to speak to him. Rock could be so incovenient sometimes.

"_Okay._", she said, re-entering the livingroom with a cup of warm coffee in one of her hands. "_We can talk now... oh wait. Do you want some?_" She motioned towards the mug.

"_Nah. I've already had breakfast, unlike you._", Rock smirked, then pointed to an old armchair that was located nearby. She sat down and quirked a brow at him, as if silent telling the guy to spit it out already. He cringed. "_Come on, being moody is so unlike you._"

"_Rock..._", Jill growled, trying to warn him to cut it out before she got seriously mad.

"_Okay, okay!_", he chuckled. "_I just wanted to ask you who are you spending Starry Night with._"

Jill paused and wondered for a moment. Starry Night was one of the most important festivals of the year. People enjoyed the beauty of the scenery with their loved ones, and it was a special time of the year. She usually spent it with her mother, but this year she had not planned to go back to the city to visit her old woman. "_No one, I guess._", she shrugged. "_I completely forgot about it._"

"_You are unbelievable._", Rock sweatdropped. He's never heard of anyone simply "forgetting" about Starry Night before. How ridiculous. "_Anyways, I came to invite you to spend it with me, Lumina, Nami and Gustafa._"

"_Nami and Gustafa?_", it was her time to cringe. It's not like she didn't like them, in fact she was good friends with the new couple, but she didn't want to see anyone get lovey-dovey as it reminded her how much her own love life sucked. "_Rock, I don't know..._"

"_Please?_", he batted his eyelashes at her, causing the girl to break into laughter. That was so not cute. "_They promised they would keep their hands off eachother until the festival is over._"

"_Fine._", she leaned against the chair and rolled her eyes. "_What about Lumina? I figured she'd be spending the festival with her grandmother?_"

"_Actually, she was the one who asked me to the festival. She wants to go to the beach and watch the stars, and her grandma would rather stay home._", he said, scratching his chin. "_Then I asked Gustafa and Nami to tag along. The more the better, right?_"

The young farmer grinned at her friend, shaking her head in disbelief. She spipped calmly on her coffee, enjoying the aroma. "_You are so clueless._", she muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough to hear it.

"_What do you mean?_", Rock frowned, crossing his arms.

"_Nothing. Forget it._", she waved him off, proceeding to get up and leave the empty mug at the kitchen sink. He followed her and leaned against the tiled wall, arms still crossed. The blond man had a smug look upon his face, but she had her back facing him so she couldn't really see it.

"_So... nobody else asked you to the festival?_", he asked, his honey eyes watching the woman washing the few dishes piled up on the sink.

Jill huffed, peering behind her shoulder at him for a second. She finished the task at hand and put the clean dishes to dry, then swirled around to face him completely.

"_Should have gone for me when you had the chance, Jillian._", Rock mocked, once again adjusting his well kept hair. "_I'd gladly arrange a romantic evening for us on Starry Night. But now you are already stuck on the friendzone._"

"_I am stuck friendzone?_", she gave the most sarcastic laugh she could muster. "_Please..._"

"_What can I say? I'm too awesome, you couldn't handle me anyway._", he added, and both fell silent for a few seconds until the two friends started laughing their asses off together.

Shortly after the blond man had to take off, leaving Jill alone to do the chores for the day. She wondered, though, if perhaps it would be best to just stay home for the festival and not intrude on what she suspected could be a blooming romance between her best friend and the short haired piano player.

She eventually gave up, and decided she didn't want to stay home alone after all.

...

Later that day, Jill had another unexpected visitor at her place. She had forgotten about her recent request to Vesta, a few bags of seeds so she could stock up for the upcoming spring, and now faced Marlin standing at her door.

She lead him into one of the barns, where she kept most of her tools and seed bags. He carefully set them on the ground and she handed him the money.

"_I think this is it._", he said, dusting off his jeans.

"_Yep._", the brunette nodded. They fell silent for a while, until she decided to speak again. Friends were supposed to chit chat, weren't they? "_So.. Marlin. Who are you spending Starry Night with?_"

"_What do you think?_", he sneered, not so excited about the idea of the whole get-together-and-celebrate thing, as usual. "_I'm staying at home with Vesta and Celia._"

"_Yeah... I figured._", she gave him a small smile. More silence. This was awkward.

Marlin turned on his heels, figuring this conversation was pointless. Jill noticed him leaving, but didn't try to stop him. If Marlin didn't feel like talking, she wouldn't push it. Their friendship had certain boundaries and she respected that. However, he stopped on his tracks and turned towards her again, causing the girl farmer to blink at him.

"_Uh.._", he mumbled, scratching the back of his curly hair. "_I overheard Rock telling Nami and Gustafa about inviting you to hang with them tomorrow. If you get bored, though, you should stop by and have dinner with us._" He shoved his hands inside his pockets and looked down, before shooting his gaze back up at her again almost too abruptly. "_If you want to, I mean._"

"_Sure._", she said with an innocent smile. He gave her a nod and left hastily, and she just stood there watching him go.

...

Starry Night finally arrived, and Jill took off the farm in order to meet her friends at the beach. She wore simple skinny jeans, brown boots, a plaid brown and yellow shirt and a warm coat. Her hair was loose and its tips were slightly curly, as she had decided to go with a different hairstyle for the special occasion.

Rock greeted the brunette with a hug. He lead her to the place where Nami, Gustafa and Lumina sat, on the sand, around a picnic towel. They would have vegetarian sandwiches and juice for dinner, most likely Gustafa's idea.

"_Hey guys._", she said, taking a seat.

"_Hey Jill._", the group said almost simultaneously.

The five friends happily ate their sandwiches while chit chatting. Gustafa started rambling about the sky and the beauty of nature, which caused some of them to yawn in boredom. Nami elbowed him, causing the bearded man to cast her a questioning glance.

"_Darling, why don't we go appreciate the beauty of nature somewhere else? We are boring the others._", she chuckled, and he grinned at her in response.

"_It's alright. We don't mind it, right guys?_", Jill said as she looked around. She received approving nods from Rock and Lumina, but both wondered quietly if they had the patience to keep listening to all that hippie talk. The couple got up regardless, and Nami gave her friends a playful wink before walking off hand in hand with her lover.

"_Aw, man!_", Jill whined, her lips forming a rather childish pout. "_They promise they wouldn't ditch us!_"

"_I don't know.. if Gustafa is gonna ramble on all night then we might be better off without them._", Rock said, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.

"_You have a point._", Lumina chuckled softly.

The trio went quiet for a while. They packed up once the picnic was finished, and Jill could not help but noticed the glances Rock and Lumina were exchanging every now and then. "_It's still a bit early._", he finally said, blushing. "_Do you guys wanna take a walk?_"

Jill eyed the two with obvious suspicion, before waving her hands in front of her. She gave them an awkward grin, feeling that it was the perfect time for an strategic exit. "_You guys go ahead, it's getting late and I have to wake up early tomorrow._", she lied.

Rock gave his best friend an apologetic smile, then turned towards the short haired girl beside him. "_Alright then. Lumina, wanna hang?_"

"_S... sure._", she agreed shyly.

Once everything was properly packed up Jill waved goodbye to her friends, and strolled away from the beach. When she reach downtown, she sighed, slightly mad at Gustafa and Nami for ditching them in the first place. Now she would have to spend the rest of the night by herself.

Unless...

...

A very lonesome Marlin sat in front of the seed shop during Starry Night, skillfully playing his harmonica. It was kind of late, and by now Vesta and Celia already headed off to bed. It felt good to be by himself after a long night of unnecessary chit chat and huge amounts of food. He was so caught up in his music that he hadn't noticed the frame of a very familiar brunette stepping out of the shadows and approaching him.

She faked a cough, attempting to catch his attention. Marlin snapped his blue eyes open, looking up only to meet amethyst ones. They looked alluring in the faint moonlight. He slowly put down his harmonica and smirked. "_I figured you'd show up._"

"_Really?_", she smirked back, placing her hands on her hips. "_Am I that obvious?_"

"_No._", Marlin replied, getting up. She scanned him carefully, despite the darkness that made it difficult to see. Tonight Marlin did not look any different than the other nights. Blue jeans, black boots and a white top. The only different thing was a blue sleeved shirt he wore on top. Spring was around the corner, but he could not afford to be exposing his arms to the dying cold. "_Your friend Rock is. He probably bored you to death and you ran off from your little picnic, didn't you?_"

Jill shook her head and restrained her laughter, afraid she might wake up the residents. She could tell Vesta and Celia were already asleep because the lights were out and Marlin was the only one up. "_It wasn't exactly his fault.. but let's just say I know when I'm not wanted._"

Marlin quirked a thick brow at her, wondering what exactly she was talking about, but eventually he shrugged it off. "_I bought wine, but didn't end up drinking any during dinner. Wanna have some?_"

The brunette wrapped an arm around his own and winked mischievously at Marlin, dumbfounding him. He was not used to having people, specially girls, acting to carefree around him, so this was new. And he guessed it was okay, too.

"_That would be lovely, sir._"


	13. About spring and rainy days

**CHAPTER 13 - About spring and rainy days**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Starry Night turned out to be pretty fun, in the end of the day. Marlin had been more talktive than usual, probably due to the many glasses of wine they went through. Jill was actually glad she stuck around.

When the conversation had finally died out and they were out of wine, the blue eyed man walked Jill back to her home. She thanked him for saving the evening and they said their goodbyes.

The remaining days of Winter went by quite fast. On day 25 Jill got some nice gems from Thomas-Claus, a special entity that showed up that same day every year to give presents to everyone. She figured it'd be better to sell them to someone and use the profit on her farm, somehow. On New Year's Eve, the whole town got together and ate Buckwheat Noodles at the area where the events where held. She was also given some leftover Buckwheat Flour, which was a pleasant surprise. That night she also had a very strange dream about a wedding, but it wasn't clear once she woke up, so she decided to shrug it off.

Spring bloomed on Forget-Me-Not-Valley, and along with it came the season of rainfall. Spring was the season of Turnips, Potatoes, Strawberries, Cucumbers and Cabbages, and she had fun planting each different kind of crop across her property. Jill was thankful because it made raising crops much easier, but there were days of storm too, so it was not always safe to come out.

The damage the storms caused also meant making several visits to the seed shop. She actually looked forward to it, despite the distance she had to walk just to get some new seeds. Jill didn't really want to admit it to herself, but she had fun making small talk with a certain blue eyed man when she had the chance to see him. One day, however, it seemed she walked in during a bad moment.

Jill walked into Vesta's house quietly, noticing the door was open. It was early, so the shop was not open yet, but she hoped she could get some seeds from the owner anyway. She could hear people yelling from the kitchen and hurried inside to find out what was going on.

"_But I already said I'm alright!_", Marlin protested in a loud lone, clenching his fists. He stood near the table, facing his sister, who was across the room by the oven. Celia sat quietly the whole time, not wanting to interfere, but she was clearly worried for the two of them. "_It's just a little rain!_"

"_Marlin, won't you listen to me for a change?_", Vesta took a step forward, scowling. He gritted his teeth at her, and she scoffed. "_You shouldn't go outside today, it's raining too hard. Do you want to get sick again?_"

"_I'm not a child anymore!_", he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air in frustation. "_Stop patronizing me!_"

"_I AM PROTECTING YOU, YOU SELFISH BRAT!_", Vesta smashed her fists against the table, causing Celia to yelp and jump back in fear.

"_I'm sick of this._", Marlin said, throwing his rain cape over his shoulders and storming off. He was so furious he didn't even notice Jill standing there on his way out. Celia and Vesta looked at the kitchen's door, finally noticing their unannounced visitor frozen in shock.

"_Jill! I'm sorry you had to see this, dear..._", Vesta sighed, as the younger girl finally snapped out of her confusion. They exchanged concerned looks. "_It's just that... I worry about my brother. It's not safe for him to go out in the rain like that. He's got a very fragile immune system, just like our dad did..._"

A very worried Celia got up from her seat and looked at Vesta deep in the eyes. "This isn't good. We need to go get him! Marlin might be mad!"

Jill walked up to the two women with determination blazing in her amethyst orbs. She wasn't just going to leave him soaking in the rain, probably angry at his sister over some silly argument. She held her fist up. "_Let's go look for him! I will help!_"

The three of them nodded in agreement, and Vesta took the lead. She instructed Celia to stay behind and wait in case Marlin returned, while she would look around the property and Jill checked out the Goddess Pound.

The brunette ran out of the farm in a hasty pace, eager to find that stubborn man and bring him back to the safety of his home.

...

The rain poured hard as Jill shifted through the foliage on the forest. Getting to the pound was trickier than she could remember, but it didn't take too long for her to get there. She wasn't surprised to see Marlin there, watching his reflection on the mystical water. This is where he went when he wanted to be alone.

As the young woman approached him, she could tell he was still upset. His fists were still clenched and he was really tense. He felt a presence behind him, and quickly turned to see what it was.

"_Jill._", he called her name, untensing slightly. He didn't want her to see him like this, acting like such a childish. Maybe he shouldn't have stormed off like that.

"_Marlin, are you okay?_", she asked, a frown forming upon her pretty features. She was soaking wet, and he felt a little guilty for making her expose herself to the weather like that.

"_I'm just so... tired. I'm tired of having Vesta babysit me all the time._", he shook his head negatively and sat down on the wet grass, his back resting against cold stone.

Jill hurried to his side and kneeled down. She gave him a sympathetic look, placing her hand carefully on his shoulder. He nearly shivered from the unexpected contact, but it was somewhat comforting too. "_Marlin, your sister is just looking after you. Please understand._"

He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily, one hand running through his dark, wet locks. She could tell he had an inner battle going on. "_I know. I know, okay? But it's been like this for years..._" Marlin then snapped his eyes open, locking his gaze with hers for what felt like hours. He grabbed her hand in a swift momement, and she squealed in response. "_Jill, I need to ask you something.. and I need you to be honest._"

The brunette stared deeply into his piercing eyes, and felt dizzy from their proximity. She fought back the impulse to push him away and run off, and bit her lower lip instead. "_Uh. Sure._"

"_Do you think I'll ever get better?_", he asked in his husky voice, squeezing her hand a little. To his surprise, and also her own, Jill found herself placing her own palm over his.

"_Of course, Marlin._", she smiled softly. "_Don't be silly._"

"_You really think so?_", he blushed, enjoying the contact more than he had expected he would. This was getting a little too weird.

"_I do. I really mean it._", Jill nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a brief moment. He smiled back at her, a smile she'd never seen before. "_Just don't worry Celia and your sister like that again, alright? They only do it for your sake._"

"_Yes... I'm sorry._", Marlin said as he got up, pulling her up with him. "_I will go apologize to them now._"

Jill nearly sighed when their hands parted, but she managed to keep it together. "_Good._" The girl farmer patted at her wet jeans, and chuckled. "_I should go home and change._"

"_Yeah._", he grinned shyly, raising his hand to her. "_I'll see you around._"

"_See ya._", she waved before walking off.

Marlin looked down at his own hands, and they felt warm despite the cold rain that poured on him. He blushed once again, now glad that he was alone. His heart skipped a beat, and he silently wondered what was this strange feeling that seemed to have lightened up inside him.

...

**A/N:**

Another short chapter.

I don't know if you guys noticed, but I've been trying to include Marlin's heart events from the game on the fanfic. I'm not being accurate with all of them, but I try (:


	14. The love letter

**CHAPTER 14 - The love letter**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Spring time continued to roll, and despite its stormy beggining the weather seemed to be finally settling down. Jill had completed her first year as a farmer in Forget-Me-Not-Valley and was doing quite well for someone who not too long ago didn't know much about raising crops nor livestock. She now raised several kinds of crops at the same time, and had bought two other cows and five more chickens. Her farm had been upgraded, too, which also meant a larger house for herself.

The brunette's relationship with a certain farmer boy seemed to have developed rather fast since the incident at the Goddess Pound. They were definetly closer than ever now, but neither knew if they could still call eachother friends. No, it seemed like they were something else, but they didn't know what it was either. Sometimes, Marlin would steal a glance when she was not looking. Other times, Jill would "accidentaly" brush her hand against him.

They regularly met for a glass or two of wine every week. On Marlin's birthday, on the 24th, he had a bottle ready for them. Both insisted on meeting past bed time, inside the seed shop, away from curious eyes. And she found out he was really good company, too.

This year, however, Jill had a gift idea of her own. She made Elli Leaves, his favourite dish, and he seemed delighted with the surprise. It turned out Jill knew Marlin better than he thought she did. This caused him to become curious about her aswell, and she informed him her own birthday was on Summer 14. Last year they were not exactly on best terms, but this year he would definetly try to give her something nice for a change. Jill, on the other hand, explained she was already glad he remembered her during Spring Thanksgiving by giving her cookies, and that he didn't need to give her anything if he didn't feel like it, but he insisted he would.

That spring Jill had also helped Popuri judge the Duck contest at the festival, and entered her first cooking contest. She had used the Buckwheat Flour she got from New Year's Eve party in order to cook her own Buckwheat Noodles, but the judges preferred Flora's Pumpkin Pudding. She did get second place, though, so it was good enough to make her proud of herself.

...

On the last day of the season, Jill had accepted an invitation from Vesta. She wanted her to come over and pick up some summer crop seeds to get her started, and told her she could stick around for dinner. By the time she got there it was around 6 PM, and Vesta was closing the shop.

"_Hello dear._", she greeted the brunette with a smile. "_Your seed bags are inside the house. You can take them home after we have dinner._"

Jill nodded and walked behind Vesta as they entered the large house. The bulky woman advised her to make herself home, and that Celia and Marlin should be downstairs soon. She then watched Vesta walking into the kitchen, probably about to arrange the table.

Celia's head popped from upstairs, and she spied the livingroom only to find her friend lounging on the couch. "_Jill... hey, Jill._", she called. The farmer peered behind, amethyst eyes meeting Celia's chocolate ones. The quirked a brow as the other girl motioned towards her.

"_Come up here._", Celia said lowly, frantically looking around the livingroom. Jill got up from the couch and walked slowly up the stairs. She heard a noise coming from the bathroom and assumed Marlin was taking a shower. She blushed furiously at the thought, and attempted to shrug it off before her friend noticed what was going on.

"_Follow me to my room._", the other brunette whispered, grabbing Jill by the arm and pulling her down the corridor. Luckily, Celia was too caught up in whatever she had in mind that she didn't notice Jill's reaction when she had looked at the bathroom door.

Celia's room was all white and brown, and her bed sheets had a fancy shade of old pink. There was a faint perfume in the air too, and it was sweet, matching its owner perfectly. Celia turned on the lights and reached inside the drawers near her bed. She took a letter from inside and handed it over to Jill, who took it with certain hesitation. "_A letter?_", Jill questioned, examining the envelope.

"_A love letter._", Celia added, furrowing her brows. "_For me._"

"_So?_", came the reply as the farmer took the letter out and began to read it.

"_I don't know who sent it. It's an anonymous letter._", Celia gave her a concerned look. Once Jill was done reading it, she carefully placed the letter back in its paper envelope and handed it back to her friend. She sat down on the bed and looked deep in thought for a minute.

"_I see.. do you have any idea who might be the sender?_", Jill finally asked. Celia shook her head no, but she displayed a hint of a smile. She looked somewhat hopeful.

"_No idea... but I can only hope._", she chuckled cheerfully and twirled around, hugging the envelope against her chest. She sighed contently and put it back inside the drawer. Jill bit her lip, eyes down at the floor. She didn't want to hear it. For some reason she was fed up with Celia's little infatuation with Marlin, and she was almost a hundred percent sure this is who she had in mind at the moment. She quickly got up and yawned loudly.

"_Listen.. we should go downstairs. I'm sure Vesta is already done with the table._", Jill said, earning a nod from her friend.

The two girls left the room in silence, but were surprised by Marlin coming out of the bathroom. He had his jeans on, but no shirt or anything covering his torso. A towel hung over one of his shoulders, and his hair was still soaking wet. Jill and Celia blushed red and stopped together on their tracks.

"_Uh. Hi._", he blinked, also a little astonished by the sudden meeting. "_I'll be downstairs soon._" He gave them an awkward smile and walked off into his bedroom.

Jill looked to her side only to meet a very goofy looking Celia. She had the stupidest smile on, and sighed heavily at the sight of Marlin's bare back before he disappeared into his room. She rolled her amethyst eyes and pulled the other brunette towards the stairs with her, helping Celia snap back into reality.

...

Dinner had been pleasant as usual, and by the end of it Marlin had offered to give Jill a ride back home. There was no way in hell she would be able to carry those bags by herself, so she gladly accepted his offer. They took off and arrived at her door in no time.

"_Do you wanna come inside?_", she blushed all shades of red possible, glad it was dark enough out and he probably didn't notice. Her eyes avoided him like the pest, for some reason, and she had the weirdest grin spread across her lips. He could tell, though, that she fought hard not to trip on her own words. Maybe something was bothering her?

"_Sure, I'll stay for a couple of minutes. I haven't seen Buddy in a while, anyway._", he nodded, and she lead him in quietly.

Marlin sat on her couch while playing with the dog, while Jill headed towards the kitchen. She made some tea and in a few minutes appeared back into the livingroom, carefully handing him a cup. He smiled and thanked her. Jill took her own seat on the armchair and put her cup of tea on the coffee table that was settled in the center of the livingroom. She sighed out loud and leaned against the cushion, closing her eyes.

"_Celia got an anonymous love letter._", she blurted out, and he started at her instantly. "_Do you know something about it?_"

Marlin watched her intensively for a moment, until she opened her eyes again. He placed his lips on the warm cup and drank up a little. "_No. Why would I?_"

Jill eyed him suspiciously through her narrowed gaze, brows furrowing slightly. In response, Marlin scowled at her, figuring she was not satisfied with his response for some reason. He placed his cup on the coffee table aswell, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"_Did you write it?_", she pressed on, placing her fingers on her chin and pretending to scratch there.

"_No._", he stood his ground.

"_If that wasn't you, then who could possibly have written the letter?_", Jill said, crossing her legs elegantly. She crossed her arms, mimicking his moves.

Marlin sighed and threw his hands up in the air. As usual, she found a way to frustate him. "_Who the hell knows, Jill?_"

Jill cast him a sarcastic grin before grabbing her cup and taking it to her lips. She sipped calmly, trying to keep it together. Something inside her was telling maybe she was getting a little jealous. For what other reason would she care so much if he wrote or not that letter? "_Are you upset? Someone might take Celia from you._"

The blue eyed man clenched his fists and stood up abruptly. He looked down at her so deeply, it nearly froze her. He wasn't upset yet, but was about to get if she didn't stop making so many stupid questions. "_How many times do I have to tell you? No one can take her from me..._" She arched a brow at him, and he approached the armchair slowly. He brought a hand to her hair and played with a strand. "... _because she was never mine._", Marlin finished, his voice barely a whisper. The girl farmer licked her lips and kept her gaze glued on his, although a part of her really wanted her to look away and stop this madness going on between them. Why did she have to care so much? Why was he always explaining himself?

Marlin let go of her locks and turned his back on her. He looked at his watch. It read 9 PM. A farmer could not afford to go to bed so late.

"_I gotta go._", he sighed, shoving his hands inside his pockets. Jill silently got up and took him to the front door. She tugged on his shirt before he could walk away, and he looked behind only to see her frowning at him.

"_Look.. Marlin. Don't tell Celia I told you about the letter, okay?_", she said in a low tone. He nodded and strolled off, finally leaving her be.

That night, Jill had a hard time falling asleep. Her head was confused, and she told herself multiple times this is exactly why she didn't want to get involved with anyone. Now instead of being able to focus on the success of her life as a farmer, her thoughts kept going back to Marlin and how dangerously close their relationship was getting.

Did she... have feelings for Marlin? That stubborn jerk she had met only a year ago? No... that couldn't be right.

Or could it?


	15. Summertime is here

**CHAPTER 15 - Summertime is here**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Summer at Forget-Me-Not-Valley had started with a beautiful sunny day. Althought it was a normal week day, the villagers all gathered at the beach that morning for a get-together. The children played happily in the sea and made sand castles, while the adults lounged around Kai's snack shack for food, refreshing drinks and the usual chit chatting. Kai was a very nice looking young man in his early 20's. He had his dark hair hidden by his trademark purple bandanna, and his skin was super tan. Also, Kai only showed up during Summer, and took off somewhere else once the season was over.

Muffy had somehow conviced Jill to pick a bikini for her to wear that day. Most girls in the island were sort of conservative and wore normal swimsuits, but the blonde managed to get her friend to show some skin. Well, more like forced her to. Jill concealed herself in a colorful beach wrap, embarassed of the bikini Muffy had picked for her. The top was white with purple polka dots while the bottom was all purple, and it wasn't all that revealing, but she wasn't used to having her body exposed for the world to see.

The blonde dragged her to one of the plastic tables on the sand and the two friends sat down. Kai walked towards them and flashed the two girls a very charming smile, and Muffy could have sworn if she wasn't already married she would have the pretty boy wrapped around her finger by now.

"_A Sex On The Beach._", she ordered with a wink, and he smirked while writing down on a small notepad.

"_I'll just have some water._", Jill yawned, but felt a kick on her chair. She eyed Muffy, who was throwing her a dirty look.

"_Scratch that. She will have the same as me._", Muffy waved her hand dismissively in front of her friend's face. Kai laughed and took off, saying he would be right back with their drinks.

"_Muffs, you know it's too early to be drinking, don't you?_", the brunette arched a brow.

"_Oh Jillian, just relax and have fun for once._", she said in response, leaning against the chair. Shortly after Kai reappeared at their table and placed two alcoholic drinks in front of them. Muffy played with the straw before taking the first sip, and Jill simply watched the tanned man walk away. "_He's cute._", Muffy growled playfully. "_You should give him your number._"

Jill rested her chin on her hand, her elbow supporting itself on the table. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "_Kai is not my kind of guy._"

"_Really?_", the blonde smirked. "_And what IS your kind, after all? Grumpy, lonely with beautiful blue eyes and a sexy ass?_"

The girl farmer launched herself over the table, her hands now supporting her as she looked at Muffy dead in the eye. "_Muffy, cut that shit out. What if someone hears you?_"

"_So what?_", Muffy asked as Jill sat back down on her chair.

"_Nothing._", she sighed, feeling a headache coming. "_I just don't want people getting the wrong idea. That's all._"

Muffy shrugged and decided it would be better not to push her friend's buttons anymore, at least for the time being. Lately Jill had been really secretive about her friendship with Marlin, and the blonde woman could tell something strange was up between those two. Marlin had not been himself, too. He would usually just come into the bar every once in a while and sulk at the corner with his whisky in hand, but now he seemed always deep in thought, like he actually had something in mind other than his chores at the farm. Muffy was dying to find out the reason for the sudden change, but she didn't want to upset her friend either.

Emerald eyes shifted only to find a couple of familiar frames in the distance. A pickup parked by the beach and two villagers stepped out. It was Celia, with Marlin behind her looking very annoyed.

Celia sported a light white cotton tunic, brown lace shorts and brown sandals. Marlin didn't bother dressing for the occasion, though. As usual, he chose to wear jeans, boots and a white shirt. Quite weird for a day at the beach, but nobody was going to change his mind about his wardrobe. Muffy motioned towards them, and Celia dragged Marlin by the arm. She smiled at the two other girls and took a seat at their table. Marlin just stood there, looking confused.

"_Hey there!_", the long haired brunette said. She asked Kai, who was only one table away, to bring her a glass of cold water.

"_Hey guys._", Muffy greeted, and Jill waved quietly. Marlin eyed her curiously and scratched his chin, his gaze on her narrowing slightly.

"_You're wearing a bikini?_", he asked out of the blue, not really thinking. She yelped, noticing her wrap was hanging a little low and her cleavage was exposed.

"_Oh crap, you noticed?_", she said, covering herself again and blushing red. "_This was all Muffy's idea. She forced me!_"

Marlin kept scratching his neck for a while, then grinned down at her. "_I think it looks good._"

The three girls gasped, and Celia shot him an angry look. Muffy had to fight back the impulse to laugh her ass off, and Jill was just astonished by his compliment. He turned around and said he only came to drop Celia by, and that he needed to go back and help Vesta at the farm. Once Marlin was gone, the aura left behind was a little strange, so the blonde decided to make some conversation in order to break the ice. They talked about their plans for summer, and Jill rambled a little about new kinds of crops she wanted to plant. Celia asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday, but the farmer insisted she would rather stay at home and be on her own. It was much less troublesome than having a big birthday party.

Muffy cast Celia a small grin, and the brunette grinned right back at her. They seemed to be sharing the same thoughts, but this was something they would have to discuss some other time. Oblivious to what was going on, Jill kept talking about how summer was great because her trees would begin to give fruit soon, and all that jazz.

Wanting her or not, her birthday was coming up.

...

A few nights later, Marlin decided to hit up the Blue Bar. He put on a black jacket over his usual outfit and sat on the same spot he did every time he went there. Griffin was behind the counter and grabbed him his favourite whisky.

"_Thanks._", the farmer said, his fingers tapping the glass lightly. He lost himself in his thoughts, and Griffin eyed him like he knew something was up with the young man.

"_Marlin, you have not been yourself lately._", he pointed out, resting his hands on the counter. "_What's up, man?_"

Marlin looked up at him and frowned. He then let out a loud sigh and rested his head on the wooden surface. "_Griffin, you're a married guy... can I ask you something?_" Griffin nodded quietly and watched Marlin cock his head towards him. "_I'm sure you've given Muffy birthday presents before. I'm curious.. what do you usually give a girl as a birthday gift?_"

"_Well, you know my Muffy... she's into expensive things. Even though she insists that I don't need to give her anything, I always get her jewelry because I know it makes her happy._", the barman said, playing with his moustache.

"_Jewelry, eh?_", Marlin muttered, furrowing his brows. Sounded expensive alright.

"_Are you thinking about buying something for a girl you like?_", Griffin grinned as he leaned towards his friends. Marlin widened his eyes at him and backed off a little from the counter. He had a feeling his old friend was making fun of him, sort of. And indeed it was funny, the thought of Marlin doing something for anyone else other than himself.

"_I might._", he arched a brow and took in a sip from his whisky.

Griffin wanted to say something about how nice it was to see Marlin finally coming out of his shell, but he feared for his life and decided to leave it alone. "_I see. Oh well, as long as it's meaningful, she'll probably like it._"

"_Meaningful?_", Marlin wondered out loud, while running a hand through his dark hair. He reached inside his wallet and put some money on the counter, before taking off in a hurry. He thanked Griffin and said he had some thinking to do before disappearing through the doors. Shortly after, Muffy came out from the back and hugged her husband tightly. He smiled and entwined his fingers around hers, looking down at their wedding rings.

"_Did you know that Marlin likes a girl?_", he asked softly, and she nudged him in the ear.

"_Did you know that a girl likes Marlin?_", she chuckled in response, and the couple watched the doors moving forward and backwards in silence, until it finally stopped.


	16. Amethyst

**CHAPTER 16 - Amethyst**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

On Summer 14, Jill was surprised with a birthday party, despite her making it clear in the beggining of the season that she would rather spend it on her own. It wasn't exactly true, and she was pleased to see the effort all her friends put into throwing her a party.

That afternoon, she had arrived home from a visit to Lumina's place. The short haired girl had offered to take her home on her car, and when they arrived at the farm Jill was greeted by the many villagers inside her house. Muffy was the first to hug her. Well, more like tackle her and nearly make the poor girl run out of breath. She thanked everyone for the lovely surprise, they sang her birthday songs and once the twenty-three candles were blown the party had officially started.

Jill had received many gifts. Some completely useless, some actually interesting, but she felt glad just to be remembered. Muffy's present was the most awkward one, a pair of sexy black lingerie. The blonde winked at her friend as she hid it back in it's box and Jill widened her eyes at her, her face going pepper red.

"_Muffy!_", she yelled, as her friend cracked up.

"_Sorry! I couldn't resist it._", Muffy apologized. Luckily, nobody else was able to see what was inside, but they sure were curious.

"_Okay, okay. That's enough present unwrapping for the night._", the birthday girl raised her hands up in the air, covered by ribbons of many colors. She got up from the armchair and went to get a drink. Griffin was serving Cuba Libres at the kitchen, which explained why people seemed more cheerful than usual.

On her third drink, Jill was already dizzy and a bit too talktive. Well, more talktive than she usually was. Griffin told her although it was her birthday and all, he would stop serving her any more alcohol for her own good. She smiled and hugged him, saying she was thankful for having such good friends.

"_Trying to steal my man, Jillian?_", Muffy appeared by their side. The two best friends laughed out loud, causing the poor barman to blush slightly. He coughed.

The brunette looked out her window, only to see the silhouette of a very familiar farmer leaning against the fences. She then turned towards the couple and held a hand up at them. "_Sorry guys, I'll be right back. I need to put some more dog food on the bowl._"

"_Yeah, right._", Muffy hissed, smacking her friend in the butt before she walked away, earning a yelp from her. "_Go get yourself some action, bitch!_"

...

Marlin let his lips curve in a small smile as he noticing the girl farmer approaching. She returned the gesture and licked her lips, jumping on the fence so she could take a seat. It was tall enough so her feet wasn't touching the grass anymore. His eyes followed her the whole time, taking in her figure. Tonight she was dressed quite casually, as she did not expect to be surprised with a party. She had a simple sundress and sandals on, which was just perfect for the season. Her hair was tied up in her favourite style, a ponytail.

"_Are you drunk?_", he arched a brow at her, his smile transforming into a mischievous grin. She giggled, confirming his suspicions.

"_Please. I'm a little light headed at best._", she said, trying to keep her balance on the fence. He shifted so he was facing her and held her arms so she could be safe, and her heart skipped a beat at the feeling.

"_Right. You smell like cheap vodka, woman._", Marlin teased. "_Happy birthday, by the way._" Jill gave him a dreamy smiled, which quickly faded away into a sad frown. She looked away, her cheeks turning into a faint shade of pink. "_Something wrong?_", he asked, genuinely concerned.

"_You weren't here when I arrived home._", Jill blurted out, the alcohol making her admit things she normally wouldn't. "_I thought you weren't coming at all._"

Marlin felt a pang against his chest, and he tightened his grip on her arms, attempting to make her look at him with no success. "_Vesta and Celia left earlier to help put the party together, so I offered to stay behind and close the shop. I'm sorry._" The brunette aimed her gaze at him, as amethyst locked with icy blue. She was blowing things out of proportion, and she knew it, but it still felt pretty bad not to see him there in the beggining of the party. But at least he came. In a sudden movement, she launched herself forward and pulled him into a tight hug. The proximity caused him to groan, and he didn't know for sure if it was either from the pleasure or just the shock.

"_Thank you for coming. It means a lot._", she whispered, finally letting go of him. He took a step back, placing his palms over hers and they smiled at eachother.

The blue eyed man reached inside the pocket of his shirt and he grabbed a small box. He then handed it to her, claiming it was a gift. She blinked twice, before opening the box. Inside there was a necklace with a small amethyst stone pendant. It wasn't jewelry nor was it expensive, but it had feeling and he hoped she would like it. Jill smiled brightly and fought back the tears behind her eyes. This was a real unexpected move, coming from Marlin, the ice king. She hugged him again, and this time he hugged her back, still kind of hesitant.

"_Oh Marlin, it's beautiful!_", she said, putting on the necklace. This time, when she let go of him, he did not back away. His body would not allow him to do so.

The pendant dangled on the level of her neckline, and he grabbed it between his fingers. His eyes shot back up at her, and she stared right back. He then moved his hand to her neck, down her arm, icy blue eyes following his own soft movements. There was something so enigmatic about her that night, he could barely control himself. She shivered under his touch, her hand grasping the pendant tightly and pressing it to her heart. It was racing, she could feel it.

"_Jill! Jill!_", they were startled by a yelling voice coming from the house. Someone was looking for the birthday girl, and before anyone noticed what was going on outside he ran off, telling her he would go grab Celia and Vesta so they could go home. Jill sighed, wondering what would have happened if they were not cut off like this. She then shook her head and told herself to stop worrying so much and loosen up for once.

It was her birthday party, after all, so she might aswell have some fun.

...

Once the party was over, Muffy, Griffin, Lumina and Rock stayed to help clean up. While the other three were working and chatting on the kitchen, Rock took the opportunity to approach his best friend in private. They stood in the livingroom, picking plastic cups and throwing them inside plastic bags.

"_Hey Jill. How did you like your birthday party?_", he said, his eyes meeting hers.

"_It was awesome, really._", she smiled, bending down to pick up another cup. Rock watched her, and noticed the necklace dangling from her neck. It wasn't there before the party.

"_Nice necklace._", he said, pulling her from the tie, his fingers on the pendant. An amethyst, he noted.

Jill scowled and snatched it away from him, her face going red. He smirked down at her. "_Was it a gift from a guy?_"

"_Shut up._", she mumbled, trying to focus on her task. He wasn't being helpful at all and instead kept on trying to make small talk. It was pissing her off.

"_Sorry, sorry._", Rock chuckled, then kneeled by her side. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, wondering why he wasn't picking up the damn cups anymore. The house was a mess. "_Look. I gotta ask you for a favor._"

She arched a brow at him and crossed her arms, cocking her head to the side. "_What is it?_"

"_Tomorrow... can you accompany me to the city?_", he asked, scratching his head.

"_Why do you want to go there?_", Jill wondered, and he scooted closer, eyes on the door to the kitchen so he could make sure no one would walk in on their conversation.

"_I need to go get something. And I need your opinion._", his voice faded into a barely audible whisper. By the looks of it she was still not entirely convinced wheter to cooperate or not, but as soon as he put his puppy eyes on she knew this was a lost case. "_Please._"

"_Alright, alright!_", she grumbled, getting up quickly and patting on her dress to get it straightened up again. "_I'll ask Takakura to take care of the farm for the day, then._"

Rock hugged her tightly, and as she was pushing him away Lumina, Muffy and Griffin had walked into the livingroom to let them know they were done with the kitchen. Lumina smirked at the two friends, and no one seemed to be able to figure if she was either mad at them or just finding the scene hilarious.

"_Did we interrupt something?_", the short haired girl said in a sarcastic tone. She put her hands on her hips in a very bossy kind of pose.

"_Yes, we were about to make sweet, sweet love._", he joked, his gaze locking with hers. He waved his hands at them dismissively. "_Come back later._"

Lumina threw a plastic cup at him and called him an idiot, but she knew he was just playing around. Jill chuckled and walked her friends to the door. She thanked them for the wonderful party and they walked to their respective homes.

The brunette rested her back against the door once it was shut close, letting a heavy sigh escape her parted lips. She looked down at the pendant and squeezed it tight with her hands once more. Even though she's only had it for a few hours, it was already becoming some sort of habit. She then opened her hands again, and stared at the pretty rock that laid on her palm.

"_This can't be happening..._", she repeated inside her head over and over, until many hours later she was finally able to fall asleep.


	17. Misunderstanding

**CHAPTER 17 - Misunderstanding**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

As promised, the day after her birthday Jill would accompany her best friend Rock to the city. They took the ferry boat that morning, and Takakura promised her he'd take good care of the farm while she was gone.

Marlin, oblivious to the fact that she had been gone for the day, knocked on her door, hoping she was home. He had some seed bags he had to deliver in a property nearby, and planned to pay her a short visit on his way there. Takakura noticed the young man standing in front of the wooden house, spying from his own window. His house was in the same property as Jill's as he was hired to help her with the farm.

Takakura left his place in a fast pace and approached Marlin, who cast him a side glance. "_Marlin! Jill isn't here today._", he said, waving his hand and pausing next to the blue eyed man. "_She left for the city earlier this morning with that Rock guy._"

"_Rock?_", Marlin furrowed his brows. "_What for?_"

Takakura scratched his head and looked up absentmindedly. "_Uhh.. I don't know. Maybe she took him to meet her mother? Isn't he her boyfriend or something?_"

Marlin widened his eyes at the older man and his mouth dropped a little. He waved his hands in front of him frantically, sweatdropping. "_Rock ad Jill? No, that can't be right._"

"_Well, I just assumed this because they are always around eachother._", he chuckled. Takakura was oblivious to what was going on between the other villagers, and he tended to live in his own little world that consisted mostly of Jill, the farm and his daughter that now lived in the city with her husband and newborn child.

"_I think you might have gotten the wrong picture, then._", Marlin said, grabbing the car keys inside his pocket. "_I'm gonna go make a delivery, then. Thanks Takakura._"

"_No problem!_", the old man smiled as Marlin took off in his pickup a bit too hastily.

...

The next day, Jill was already back. They had crashed in her mother's place for the night. Jill took her old room while Rock slept in the livingroom, of course. The afternoon they had spent in the city was fun, and she had forgotten how busy life outside the island was.

The two friends stood in the bridge that lead to Vesta's property, both still carrying their backpacks. A sweaty looking Marlin worked nearby, hoe in hand, and he looked towards the distance only to find those two talking while staring at the river flow. He couldn't hear what they talked about, but he could see what they were doing, sort of.

Rock held a strange velvet box in his hands. He smiled and put his hands on the brunette's shoulder, rubbing there for a moment. She smiled kindly back at him.

"_Thanks for helping me with this, Jill._", he said, his cheeks turning into a light shade of pink. "_I know I could have gone by myself, but I needed someone to help me not chicken out._"

"_It's alright._", she nodded, as he let go of her shoulder. "_But honestly, do some thinking first, okay? This is a big decision. Plus.. it's only been a while._"

He looked at her with determination in his eyes. His fingers worked their way on the box, popping it open. Inside there was a long, shiny looking blue feather. Marlin's eyes widened at the sight, he couldn't believe his eyes. He gasped.

Rock said something to Jill, and she nodded, looking very cheerful. They laughed at eachother, and he closed the box again. Marlin squeezed his fists shut, going into mindless rage. "_Takakura was right..._", he growled under his breath, then groaned in frustation.

"_Why? Why him?_"

...

Marlin disappeared from Vesta's farm for the rest of the day. She had tried asking him why he looked so mad, but he didn't say a word and just stormed out after getting his wallet. He made his way to the Blue Bar, and Griffin was surprised to see him there so early.

"_Marlin, we are not open yet._", he said, arching a brow.

"_Griffin... please._", he pleaded, his firsts still clenched. Griffin could see the tension coming from his friend, and hurried him inside. The place was completely empty, and only Muffy was there cleaning some empty glasses. She shot him a look of pure concern as the blonde woman noticed the aura around him.

"_Whisky._", he ordered sharply, lowering his eyes so she was not able to make any eye contact with him. He rubbed his head and groaned, letting his hands rest behind his neck, fingers digging into his own curly locks.

Muffy pouted but before she could say anything she felt her husband's hand on her shoulder. He shook his head negatively at her, and entered the back room leaving the two alone for the moment. Muffy nodded in silence and put a glass before her lonely costumer, skillfully proceeding to fill it with the alcoholic drink.

The blue eyed man took the glass in his hands and drank the whisky maybe way too fast. Muffy eyed like suspiciously, like he was acting like some kind of freak. He wasn't going to talk, it seemed. Marlin laid his head in the wooden counter and sighed loudly, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the feel of the liquid burning down his throat.

"_Don't ask._", he muttered, frowning. "_Tonight I just wanna get wasted out of my mind._"

"_As you please..._", she said, placing her hands on her hips.

...

The day had faded into night time, and the bar began to fill in with its usual costumers. The brothers Kassey and Patrick sat at one of the tables in a corner and chatted cheerfully about the Fireworks festival that would take place in a few days. Gotz and Grant also sat together somewhere else, and the salaryman looked upset as usual, as they talked about his cruel wife.

Marlin's head still rested on the counter and every now and then Muffy would check up on him, worried that he might fall asleep. In fact, he was about to when he heard the blonde squealing someone else's name and running towards the exit.

"_Jill!_", she called, hugging the girl farmer tightly. Jill giggled and followed her to the counter, where she took a seat. A certain smug, blond guy was also with her and sat by her side.

Marlin was frozen in shock. He could feel their presence, but did not dare look to his side. Those two were the last people he wanted to see.

The brunette noticed him leaning there over the wooden surface, and blinked, her eyes on his back. She touched his back lightly, testing him. Something didn't feel right. "_Marlin? You okay?_"

He snapped back, slapping her hand away. Marlin gritted his pearly white teeth at her menacingly, and she gasped in shock, instantly drawing her poor hand. "_Get the fuck away from me._"

"_Hey man, what the hell!_", Rock said, getting off his seat and putting himself between the farmer and his best friend. He scowled down at the drunk man before him.

"_You two..._", Marlin growled, pointing at them and narrowing his gaze. "_...deserve eachother._"

Fighting back the impulse to beat the shit out of the blond man, Marlin stormed off. He was drunk and furious, which caused him to forget to pay his bill. Muffy huffed and made a mental note to charge him later. Also, she also had to kick his ass for being such an asshole to her friends.

...

After the incident, Jill felt terrible for some reason. She said she needed to go, and Rock was kind enough to drop her home. She laid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, one had resting at her stomach while the other lay over her head, brushing her long brown hair. She lost herself in her thoughts and sighed heavily multiple times as she did so.

In her head she played the events of that night over and over again. Why did Marlin have to go and act like that? What could she have possibly done to him to cause all of this?

The frowned, feeling tears form in the corner of her eyes. Jill turned swiftly, before they could start falling, and sobbed against her pillow. She squeezed the amethyst pendant that she still wore around her neck. It had been his gift to her. She was furious at him right now, but she couldn't bring herself to take it off. When did things get so complicated between them?

She sobbed for a straight hour, her head aching, before she could finally drift off to sleep. Maybe tomorrow things would clear up and everything would make sense again. Maybe not.


	18. Coming clear

**CHAPTER 18 - Coming clear**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Another beautiful summer day rose and the sunshine peered through the curtains of the dark room. A very tired looking Marlin shifted uncomfortable in his covers, hiding his head under the pillow. He groaned as his sister entered the room with Celia behind him, both wondering why was he not up and working yet. Oversleeping was just not something he used to do. Normally Marlin would be up before everyone, before the sun rised.

"_Leave me alone._", he said, his voice muffled. Vesta could smell the stench of alcohol coming from him, and she shook her head in disapproval. She figured it would be best to leave him be for the day, and closed the door so he could go back to sleep.

Many hours later, it was almost dinner time and the farmer decided he could no longer hide in his bedroom. He stinked, and his stomach demanded some food. He lazily got up to his feet and dragged himself to the bathroom in order to take a nice, cold shower.

"_Hey there sleepyhead._", Vesta grinned as he showed up at the kitchen, minutes later. She sat with Celia, and they were having some tea. "_Looks like you had too much fun last night, uh?_"

Marlin scoffed at his sister, allowing his weight to settle upon one of the chairs. He bumped his head against the table and let it just lay there, squeezing his eyes shut. He had the worst hangover since a long time. "_Did you make any coffee?_", was the only thing the could bring himself to say.

"_Yes, do you want some?_", she asked, watching as her brother attempted to nod while still having his head glued to the table. It was kind of funny, to be honest.

Celia smiled and motioned towards Vesta, telling her to stay in her seat. She got up and poured some coffee in a mug, placing in front of Marlin once she was done. He lifted his head from the table and thanked her in a barely audible tone.

There was a long moment of silence between the three of them. Vesta leaned against the table, taking a look at her nails while Marlin sipped on the warm liquid slowly. Celia figured she'd make up some conversation if no one else was going to, in this case.

"_Did you know that Rock got engaged?_", she said, and Marlin shot his icy blue eyes at her. He felt the air leave him, having the feeling like he knew where this little convo was going.

"_Did he?_", Vesta asked casually, casting the younger woman a side glance. "_I didn't even know he had a girlfriend._"

Marlin set down his mug and got up abruptly. He closed his eyes and huffed, preparing to leave the kitchen. Celia eyed him as so did his sister, but they thought nothing of it and carried on with the subject. "_Well, it seems they haven't been seeing eachother for too long, but he really likes this girl.. and she said yes._'

"_...it was Lumina, by the way._", he heard her tell his sister as he reached the door that lead to the livingroom. Marlin turned on his heels and rushed back to the table.

"_What did you just say?_", he gasped, his gaze wide at her brown one.

"_Rock got engaged to Lumina._", Celia repeated, arching a brow at him. She turned back towards the bulky woman and began telling her about how they started seeing eachother not too long ago and kept their thing out of public eyes for a while. Marlin took a step back, breathing heavily, his back touching the tiled wall. "_I know it feels like it's a little too soon, but if they are in love I think it can work out! Don't you think so too, Marlin?_"

Marlin just frowned and stood there, not believing how much of a jerk he was to Jill when in the end she had nothing to do with Rock and that blue feather he was showing her the other day. Celia thought his silence meant he was uninterested, so she just turned her attention towards Vesta again.

The blue eyed man left the house in a hurry, telling those two to just go ahead and have dinner without him, and that they should not wait up for him.

...

In the meanwhile, at another farm on the northern side of the island, a very cheerful looking Jill cooked dinner while humming a song to herself. Buddy watched his master anxiously, and every now and then she would throw him a piece or two of nice quality meat bits. Tonight she would be having a nice steak, salad and some wine.

Shortly after the food was done and she sat alone at her kitchen table. Her amethyst eyes stared deeply into the facy glass and its contents, while she chewed on a piece of meat. This was Marlin's favourite wine, she recalled, letting out a heavy sigh.

"_Ughh. Why can't I stop thinking about that jerk?_", she groaned, finishing her food. Desperate to find something to occupy her mind with, she washed the dishes right away. On a normal day she would leave the task to the next morning, but today.. today was just not a good day.

As her hands began to work on drying up the dishes with a piece of white fabric, the brunette heard a loud knock on her door. She blinked, silently wondering who could it be. It was kind of late to have visitors over. She dried up her hands and hurried towards the door, sticking an eye into the peephole while squeezing the other shut. She gasped, her fingers covering her mouth.

"_Go away!_", she shouted angrily, squeezing the wine glass in her hand so hard it nearly cracked.

"_Jill!_", Marlin's voice called from the other side, and he knocked once more. "_Jill, hear me out!_"

"_You're a jerk, Marlin!_", she hissed. "_You have always been one! I should have known better!_"

Silence. For a moment she thought he had given up and ran off back to his home, but when she spied through the hole again he was still there. She sighed, both mad and relieved at the same time.

"_I'm not leaving until you talk to me._", he finally said, furrowing his brows and crossing his arms. She knew Marlin enough not to doubt him. If needed he would stand by her door all night.

The door flew open, and she leaned against the frame, one of her arms blocking the space left so he knew he was not welcome.. yet. A thin brow arched at the man before her, and she shot him the coldest look he had ever seen her muster before. It was so unlike her, and he hated it. "_Well?_"

"_Can I come in?_", he asked, eyes taking in her figure. She wore her usual summer attire; jeans shorts, slippers and a short sleeved plaid shirt. Plaid was her thing, yeah. Her hair was tied up and the amethyst pendant still hung around her neck just above the neckline. Inside, he was glad she had not thrown his gift away. For the way he acted towards her last night she had all the reasons to do so.

"_No. You know what, Marlin, maybe you should just-_", she was cut off by him placing a finger lightly to her lips.

"_I'm sorry._", he admitted, staring at her deeply in the eyes. Jill took a step back and frowned, surprised he was able to let his pride aside and actually apologize to her. "_I was drunk and I shouldn't have acted that way. I know it's no excuse but... I'm here now. I'm really sorry, Jill._"

The young woman sipped on her wine and let him into her house, shutting the door behind them. She sighed and put a hand on her own forehead, looking upset still. "_Honestly... Marlin, you are very unpredictable sometimes. I leave for the city to help Rock buy a blue feather for his girlfriend and when I come back it's like we are old enemies again. What is up with that?_"

To her frustation, Marlin was having a hard time explaining himself. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and breathed out, narrowing her gaze on him. "_And for a moment I actually thought you had feelings for me. I'm so stupid._", she muttered, turning around so he wasn't facing her anymore.

Jill squealed as she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist and a nose burying under her brown hair. She cocked her hair to the side, catching sight of his piercing gaze on her own. There was a certain fire inside them and it caused her to shiver and sigh in a mixture of fear and pleasure. He smirked.

"_I do._", he whispered in her ear, and she was shocked by how aroused it made her. She had been wondering lately how it would feel to be with Marlin this close, but this was much better than she ever expected. "_To be honest... I got mad because I saw you and the pretty boy talking on the bridge yesterday. When he popped out that feather I... I thought..._"

The brunette turned quickly so now they were face to face. She widened her eyes up at him and grasped his arms tightly, interrupting his thoughts. "_You thought he was proposing to me._", she concluded out loud. Marlin nodded and she gave him a big smile of relief, followed by a hug. Well, more like she threw herself in his arms.

"_You dummy!_", she giggled, brushing her face against his chest. He smelled like faint men's cologne, and she liked it. "_I just made him company, that's all!_"

"_I know._", Marlin smiled as she looked up at him. He took a few strands of her hair and tucked them behind her ear, causing the girl to blush slightly. "_I heard it all from Celia just now and drove here as fast as I could because I just had to see you._"

"_Uh. I guess the story spread fast then._", Jill trailed off. He ran his hands up and down her arms, and she felt as warm as summer itself.

"_Do you forgive me, then?_", he asked, and she hugged him again, sighing happily on his white shirt. "_I'll take that as a yes._"

Marlin held her chin up so he could make her look at him. His gaze on her was intense, and her own soul burned in anticipation. Something big was going to happen, and she could tell. He dipped his head down so their lips barely met, and he teased her by not moving further. She bit her bottom lip, eyeing his lips then his blue orbs again, her desires urging to take over. It's been years since she had a man and although she never admitted it, Jill was a grown woman and had necessities too. Necessities that could make her do crazy things if she didn't watch her back.

Her hands trailed up his neck and pulled him closer, as their lips finally met. At first they touched lightly and with certain hesitation, but as soon as he grabbed her waist and pulled her even closed to him they let the hunger take over and the kiss deepened, their tongues dancing against eachother madly. She moaned against his mouth, enjoying the feeling of having him against her like that maybe a little bit too much. She hadn't realized she missed sexual contact so badly until now.

They kissed like this for a while longer, until both ran out of breath. She panted heavily as he gave her a coy smile, taking a step back so they were not glued to eachother anymore. The sudden distance nearly made her protest in disappointment, but Jill knew their kiss was totally unexpected and they needed to sort this out.

"_I gotta go._", he said out of the blue, scratching the back of his head.

"_Marlin..._", she replied softly, her hand reaching for his arm. To her surprise he took her hand in his and entwined fingers with her, the look upon his handsome face reassuring her everything would be okay.

"_We will talk._", he stated, letting go of her hand. "_Later._"

Jill let a small smile creep upon her lips, now red-ish from the make out session. She followed him to the door, and he planted a light peck on her cheek before walking out. She returned to the livingroom with her hand against her chest, her heart beating in a fast pace.

Marlin had kisser her. She kissed him back. "_WHAT'S GOING ON?_", she screamed inside her own head, throwing her weight over the couch.

The hours flew by and she didn't even notice sleep catching up to her. That night, Jill had a good dream. She dreamed of wine, secretive meetings at the seed shop and of course, she dreamed of Marlin.


	19. Later

**CHAPTER 19 - Later**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Summer time continued to roll on, and one day Jill was visited by Rick, the guy from Yodel Ranch guy. He told her about the Cow Festival they would hold the next day, and managed to convince her to enter Mia, the very first cow she owned.

The next morning the young farmer found herself at the event area on the eastern side of Forget-Me-Not-Valley. She politely greeted the judges, then went to check up on her cow. Mia looked healthy and mooed happily as she received a pet from her mistress.

Jill jumped back, feeling a hand on her shoulder. She peered behind her, noticing a pair of icy blue eyes on her. "_Marlin._", she sighed, a frown forming upon her delicate features.

"_Hey._", he smirked, running his hand along the cow's back then resting it over her head. She seemed to be enjoying all the attention. "_Nice cow._" The brunette merely cast him a side glance and her silence started to disturb him, somehow. He gazed back up at her, grasping her arm lightly. "_Hey.. What's up?_"

"_You never called._", she whispered, looking around her to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Marlin grinned and stepped closer towards her, tucking her hair behind her ear. He liked to do that, it managed to make her look even cuter. Jill, however, did not look happy at all. She pouted at him, demanding an answer. "_I'm sorry about that. I didn't really need to do any thinking, actually I've had enough time to think things through for the past few months when I started to realize my feelings for you... but I figured you would need the distance to do some thinking too._" He came closer to her ear, his breath tingling her skin. "_But to be honest, it was pretty fucking hard to keep myself from seeing you..._"

Jill blushed all sorts of shades of red, her eyes avoiding him like mad. She noticed Vesta and Celia lounging nearby, and afraid they might look behind them and see how close those two were, she took a few steps back. "_I see..._" She said as he reached for her hand.

"_Do you want to meet up later?_", he asked, the blaze she had seen in his eyes days ago lightning back up.

"_Uh. Sure._", she muttered, hesitantly freeing herself from his hand. "_Look, the contest is about to begin..._"

Marlin winked playfully at her and ran back to Celia and his sister, raising his hand up in the air.

"_Break a leg!_"

...

On her way out of the event area, Jill was greeted and cheered on by several other villagers. Her cow, Mia, had won the contest. Jill felt proud and encouraged, thinking she might buy some more cows in a near future. Maybe she was better at raising livestock than she had thought.

The hours passed by way too slow for her taste. The young farmer lounged at the livingroom and watched TV most of the day, anxiously waiting for dusk to fall. As the afternoon neared its end, she made herself take a nice shower, and threw on some comfortable clothes that also happened to be appropriate for summer. A white simple button up blouse, pleated over the knee-lenght skirt and black mary janes. She let her long locks fall down her back for a change, enjoying the feeling of freedom. As for makeup, she limited herself to some mascara and strawberry lip balm, not wanting to overdo it.

After dinner time, around 8 PM, she found herself next to the seed shop, looking around to check if nobody else was there. The lights on Vesta's place were on, and she could see the silhouette of the bulky woman and Celia through one of the distant windows. But where the hell was Marlin, anyway? She yielped, feeling a hand grasping her arm tighly and pulling her towards something.

"_YIKES!_", she cried out before crashing into someone's chest. Jill felt a finger pressing against her lips, and she looked up only to meet Marlin's handsome face close to hers. He chuckled.

"_You are so loud._", he chuckled, taking his finger off her face. She smiled and he motioned towards the back of the shop, aware there was another entrance they could use without catching anyone's attention. Jill followed him inside, and he let her take a seat behind the counter. He served her some wine he had stored inside the frigobar, before pouring himself some.

"_You're such a drunk._", she giggled in a surprisingly girly way, sipping on the delicious red-ish liquid.

"_Look who's talking._", he scoffed.

She watched as he put his glass down and cleared his throat, his eyes shooting up at the ceiling. His cheeks went pink for a moment, and he felt thankful the wine would make this talk much easier. "_So... I said I have feelings for you, but you never said anything. This is not one of those one side things, is it? Cause I really don't want to embarass myself here._"

"_Are you kidding me?_", she laughed, crossing her arms over the wooden counter and giving him a coy smile. "_Marlin, I wouldn't have gotten upset for you not calling me if I didn't have some sort of feeling for you._"

He sat at a small bench in front of her and leaned towards her, causing the brunette to blink in confusion. "_And what kind of feeling is that, may I ask?_"

Jill arched a thin brow at the man before her, and rested her chin over her hand. This was her time to see what was so interesting about the ceiling. "_Well.. I'm definetly attracted to you._", she muttered, earning a smartass grin from him. She stared back into his eyes. "_And I guess I like hanging around you too, although sometimes you make a total ass of yourself._"

Marlin leaned back and furrowed his brows at the young woman, placing his palms over the counter. He slowly reached for her hand and covered it with his two own palms, his smirk creeping once again across his lips. "_I feel the same way about you._"

The brunette suddenly felt her face going way too warm, and entwined her fingers with his, squeezing tightly. Marlin took the hint ad hovered over, catching her lips with a passion he didn't even know he had inside. They kissed deeply for a while, tongues swirling against eachother, and she decided this was just not enough for her. He groaned, feeling her nipping on his lower lip in a playful manner.

Out of the blue, Marlin decided to break the kiss. He eyed her with a large, mischievous grin upon his face, and she wondered why did he have to cut her off like that. The blue eyed man walked over to her side and picked her up in his arms, earning a cry of protest from the brunette. "_Marlin, what the heck!_"

He laughed and set her down on the top of the counter, placing himself between her legs. Her mouth dropped a little, finally able to figure what he was up to, and Jill hungrily pulled him against her for another breathtaking kiss. She moaned against his mouth and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. Jill was so lost in the moment she barely felt Marlin's skillful fingers working their way through the buttons of her blouse. She yielped, feeling something else other than his hands pressing against her. Was that what she thought it was?

"_Marlin..._", she called, as he kissed her neck.

"_Hmm?_", he mumbled against her soft skin, his hands popping the third button open. He felt her hands against his chest, pushing him away.

"_Marlin!_", she cried out, amethyst eyes shooting open. He stopped on his tracks and raised his head, glancing at her. "_Stop._"

"_Why?_", he sighed, fingers still on her blouse. She took her hands in his and looked down at them.

"_I want this just as much as you do but..._", Jill paused, her gaze back on his as she cupped his face gently. "_I'm not that kind of girl._"

"_We don't have to play that game._", Marlin scowled, his voice firm.

"_It's not a game._", she shook her head, feeling an inner fight going on. The wild half of her urged the young woman to let him take her right there, right now, but her rational half argumented it might be too soon. "_Can we just... keep seeing eachother, and see how it goes from there?_"

He breathed out heavily, raising his hands and burying them under her hair. Her brown locks felt soft and they had a faint citric scent. He smiled. "_You're right. I'm sorry, I guess I just got carried away._"

"_Me too._", the brunette giggled, and he stepped back, taking his wine glass in hand once again. She mimicqued and sipped from her drink.

"_So... what do you want to do?_", he asked, trying to act normal again. It was hard after being so dangerously close to her. He wondered what would have happened if she didn't stop him, and attempted to fight back the blush that threatened to reappear upon his cheeks. God damn it, his hormones were killing him.

"_Maybe we could just talk?_", she smiled. Jill still sat on the counter, not really feeling like going back to her old seat. This was comfortable, too.

"_Sure._", he nodded. "_Let's talk. Talk is good._"


	20. Fireworks

**CHAPTER 20 - Fireworks**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

Three days had been passed since Jill and Marlin's most recent tete-a-tete. The next day the villagers would be holding their traditional Fireworks Festival, and everyone was looking forward to it. Specially Celia.

Marlin chewed on a spoonfull of cereal while Celia took a seat in front of him, giving the farmer a dreamy look. They lounged in the kitchen for breakfast, and Vesta was already at the seed shop sorting things out. He arched an eyebrow at her, dipping his spoon back into his bowl.

"_What?_", he grumbled, as she smiled kindly at him. Why did she always have to be so god damn cheerful around him? It was like she wasn't human or something like that.

"_Tomorrow they will be holding a festival._", she pointed out, her fingers wrapping around the warm tea cup in front of her. "_You are taking me to see the fireworks, aren't you?_"

Marlin blinked several times at the dark haired woman before him, taking his hand to the back of his head and scratching there absentmindedly. He shot his eyes up at the ceiling, not sure of what to say. It was sort of a tradition; he would take Celia to the festivals whenever it was possible, but this year there was an impasse. Jill. They were "seeing eachother" as of now and to be honest Marlin had no idea what it meant exactly. Were they supposed to be public by now? Or would she rather keep their thing a secret? Well, there certainly was a reason why Marlin had always avoided relationships. They were too complicated. "Uh..", was all he could managed to say, before she got up from her seat and hovered over to give him a tight hug.

"_Thanks, Marlin!_", she squealed, as he just stood there frozen. He didn't even have time to explain the situation. "_I'm gonna go help Vesta at the shop! Seeya later!_"

The farmer sighed as he watched the girl running off the house happily. It was hard for him, and the last thing he wanted to do was to let Celia down. He wasn't in love with her, but it wasn't like he didn't care about her feelings at all.

...

Later that day, Jill got a call from a very worried Marlin. She could sense the tension on his voice.

"_What's up?_", she asked, secretly happy he had called. It was good to hear from him regardless.

"_Jill, I don't know how to say this, but..._", he trailed, his hand clutching the telephone tightly.

"_Oh, come on!_", he heard her protest on the other end of the line. "_You're gonna say this was a bad idea, aren't you? You and I?_"

"_No, no!_", Marlin assured, impressed by how unconfident she could be sometimes. "_I was just going to say that I wanted to see you for the Fireworks Festival tomorrow, but..._"

"_But?_", Jill asked. She could hear him breathing out with heave.

"_I have to spend it at home. Celia wants us to watch the fireworks with her from the fields like we do every year._", he replied, closing his eyes in defeat. There was a long moment of silence, and he assumed she was probably mad at him for being so terrible to her all the time. "_Jill? Are you still there?_"

"_It's okay._", she muttered, thankful he wasn't able to see her frown right now. "_Celia needs you. Listen... I gotta go, okay? I haven't finished my chores for the day._"

Marlin was about to say something when she hung up on him. He furrowed his brows, putting the phone down.

"_Oh boy... something tells me I messed things up._"

...

It was finally Fireworks night and the villagers chose to stay with their significant others and enjoy the festival around people they care about. Jill had been invited to stay with Griffin and Muffy. She had hesitated at first, not wanting to intrude, but her best friend insisted. There was no way in hell Muffy would leave Jill alone like that.

They still had a couple of hours until the fireworks started to blow up, so the three friends had a special dinner over at Griffin's house. It was then when Muffy had decided to drop the bomb.

"_I'm pregnant._", she revealed, as her husband squeezed her shouder lightly.

"_Oh my GOOOOD!_", Jill squealed, pouncing on her friend. This was just so exciting! She was going to be an aunt, sort of.

"_Outch! Jill, careful._", the blonde chuckled, pointing towards her own belly. "_I'm carrying a baby now, remember?_"

"_Right! Sorry Muffs._", she sweatdropped, feeling awkward all of a sudden. "_This is great. Congratulations, you two!_"

The couple thanked her, and Muffy held her hand reassuringly. "_I want you to be my kid's godmother. What do you say?_"

"_Of course!_", Jill grinned brightly, so glad to be a part of this wonderful experience in their lives. "_How could I possibly say no to that?_"

The three of them talked for a while longer, then resumed eating their tasty dinner. Griffin sighed happily, playing with his mustache.

"_This reminds me of my family, sort of._", he said out of the blue, earning their attention. "_My family was very small, but we were always happy when we got together._"

Muffy nodded, grinning up at her husband. "_It's always nice to spend those special occasions around people you care about._", she added, jerking her face towards the girl farmer. "_Isn't that right, Jill?_"

Jill just sat there quietly, her amethyst eyes on the table. She seemed deep in thought, and only managed to snap back into reality when her best friend continuously snapped her fingers in front of her. "_Jill? Hey, Jillian?_"

"_Sorry, guys._", he stood up as they stared up at her in surprise. "_There's something I gotta do. Thanks for the lovely evening._"

The brunette left in a hurry, leaving a couple of very amazed looking friends behind. They stared at eachother and shrugged, resuming their dinner like it was none of their business.

...

"_Jill!_", greeted Vesta, surprised to see the young woman at her door at that time of the night. It wouldn't be long until the fireworks begin.

"_Vesta, I'm sorry about showing up unannounced like this, but is Marlin here?_", she asked, holding the bulky woman's hands, pure determination gleaming in her amethyst eyes. "_There's something... uh... I gotta talk to him. It's important._"

Vesta gave the younger girl a wise look, kind of starting to get the hint of what was going on. "_Sorry dear, Marlin said there was something he needed to do and took off not too long ago. He didn't even bother telling us where he was going, that boy._"

"_What?_"

...

Muffy and Griffin were having a pleasant, private dinner before they were rudely interrupted by a knock on their door. They were shocked to see the village's bad boy standing there.

"_Is Jill here?_", he said before they could do anything.

"_Left a while ago._", Muffy crossed her hands in front of her chest, placing herself in front of her husband. "_I have a feeling she went out to look for you._"

He let his mouth drop a little, forming a small O before shrugging it off, and motioning towards Griffin. "_I don't have my pickup with me. Can I borrow your car?_"

"_Sure._", came the reply, as Griffin tossed him the keys without needing to think twice. He trusted Marlin enough to take good care of his property.

"_Thanks guys._", he muttered before disappearing once again into the night.

...

Not too far away from downtown, Jill found herself sitting by the Goddess Pound, surrounded by the whispering sounds of the forest. She sighed, resting her back against the cold stone, allowing herself to lay down for a while. Probably not the best idea, for a girl to be by herself on a dark place in a night like that, but didn't really want to go home nor did she feel like showing her face at Griffin's twice on the same day.

"_I'm so stupid._", she told herself, shutting her eyes tightly.

"_Don't be so harsh on yourself._", she was startled by the voice of a man, and sat up quickly, looking around the place frantically. A silhouette approached her from the shadows, and the frail moonlight slowly revealed the frame of the one she had been dying to see lately.

"_Marlin._", she called his name softly, hugging her knees and resting her chin over them. He scooted closer and took a seat next to her on the cold stone. This time, neither felt the need for any personal space. This was comfortable enough. "_How did you find me?_"

"_I went over to Muffy and Griffin's because he told me last night they had invited you to hang during the festival._", he explained calmly. "_You weren't there when I arrived, they told me you left to look for me. I just assumed you would run off somewhere else once you found out I wasn't at home, too._"

"_Yeah, but anyone would think I just eventually gave up and went to my own place._", she retorted, giving him a side look. He grinned, fixing his blue orbs on her purple-ish ones.

"_I guess I'm not just anyone._", she heard him mutter under his breath, and leaned carefully against his shoulder. They stayed like this for a while, until he felt like talking again.

"_Listen, I'm really sorry about yesterday._", he apologized, much to her surprise. Back in the day Marlin would refuse to explain himself, let alone apologize to anyone, but he was definetly changed. And for the better, she thought. "_I'm so used to do things as my sister and Celia please, that when the time came I couldn't make up my mind. But know this, I'd much rather spend this day with you than anyone else._"

Jill felt his hand reaching for hers, as their fingers entwined. The sound of fireworks exploding in the sky caught their attention, as both immediately shot their gazes up. They smiled quietly, amazed by the many colors and lights filling up the space. It was beautiful.

"_I'm not afraid to make us a public thing, if that's what you want._", Marlin said as the sounds finally began to tone town.

"_No... I was being silly. I shouldn't have gotten upset at you for doing something you always do. Which is make your sister and Celia happy. In fact, I admire that in you._", she smiled softly, her gaze still up at the sky although she could feel him staring at her. "_It's too soon. Now doesn't feel like the right time._"

"_Oh._", was all he could bring himself to say after hearing those words. Did she not want to be with him, after all?

Jill planted a soft peck on his cheek, causing the farmer to blush. She glanced up, meeting his alluring blue eyes. "_You make me happy._"

That was it. That was all he needed to hear. Marlin squeezed her hand as he leaned his head against her. They watched the fireworks together until the sky faded back into darkness, and all the valley went silent once more.

"_You make me happy, too._"


	21. Gotta be selfish sometimes

**CHAPTER 1 - Gotta be selfish sometimes**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Life in Forget-Me-Not-Valley carried on as usual. Fall had arrived once again and the island was adorned by shades of red, yellow and a very dark green. It was getting slightly chilly, so the villagers made sure to wear a scarf and a thin coat when outside, which was only fair.

In the beggining of the season they held the Harvest Festival, and everyone took a different ingredient to add to the huge stew placed in the middle of the area where the events where held. This year Jill had decided to take the best looking carrots she had in stock. They were a modest size, as the young farmer had to go and harvest them way too soon in order to make it to the festival, but she still managed to get a few compliments on her contribution. It made her happy.

A few weeks after that, she also participated in the Sheep festival. She had finally bought a sheep of her own, but it got third place. Well, it was better than not placing at all.

Along that season Jill and Marlin's relationship developed in a very slow pace. Every now and then they would meet up alone and talk. Sometimes he even managed to steal a suggestive glance or even a kiss from her, but she never allowed things to grow from there. Jill still had the memory of that smartass, rude Marlin she had met not too long ago at the beach. It was fresh in her mind and sometimes it scared her, too. Could she trust him? She didn't know for sure.

On day 24, the girl farmer found herself strolling towards Vesta's place. She had been invited for Celia's birthday party at her house that night, and the brunette had decided to go a little earlier and maybe help with the arrangements. She knew it was going to be a small thing, but she was done with her chores for the day and wanted something to do anyway.

Jill halted herself on her tracks, catching the glimpse of her current "affair". He was chatting with Celia, but they talked so low she could barely hear anything from where she stood. There was a strange atmosphere around them... Marlin looked awkward. Maybe they were talking about something important? Curiosity taking over, the brunette scooted closer silently, hiding herself behind some bushes nearby. Marlin must have really been caught up in their conversation, because otherwise he would have instantly noticed something shifting behind them. Celia was clueless as always.

"_You don't need to get me anything for my birthday, Marlin._", she heard Celia say softly. The young girl blushed a shade of pink, her chocolate orbs on the floor. A small, shy smile crept across her rosy lips. Marlin had his eyes fixed on the ground aswell, letting them shift towards her as he felt Celia taking his hands on hers. He felt his face going warm as her smile brightened up even more, if possible. "_Your presence alone is the best gift you could ever give me. You mean a lot, you know..._"

Marlin frowned, as he gently shook her hands off of his. His expression turned cold, and he avoided her gaze. Celia opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by his rough, powerful voice. "_I'm sorry, Celia. You are very kind, but you know my feelings for you haven't changed._"

Celia's eyes followed him as the blue eyed man got up, dusting off his jeans. He shoved his hands inside his pockets and sighed, his back now at her. "_I'll always see you like a sister. I hope you can understand that._", he muttered, before walking off. "_Happy birthday._"

Jill watched the scene unfold, her amethyst eyes wide. She saw Celia clutch on her dress, a very sad frown upon her face. It was heartbreaking to watch. "_I know..._", she said, her voice almost breaking. Celia got up abruptly, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. This wasn't the first time he had said that to her. She was a grown woman and would behave as such. The brunette turned on her heels, walking off towards the house.

As the door closed shut and nobody else was in sight, Jill was finally able to leave the bushes. Her hair was somewhat messy with a few leaves hanging here and there. Her pants were also kind of dirty from kneeling in the soil like that. She looked down at herself and her lips curved down. Something didn't feel right.

"_I can't do this..._"

...

Several more days passed by, and a new Winter had coated the valley with it's white, chilly crust. It was beautiful, but also meant hard times for farmers. By now, Jill was thankful for the good profit she got from raising livestock. Also, she managed to raise crops inside an isolated barn by using a special stone that seemed to control the weather inside. It was good income.

Although her business seemed to do just fine, her social life was a whole different story. That day at Vesta's farm had triggered something inside her, and she began to set herself apart from the other locals for a while. She needed a break, from what exactly she didn't know, but she needed it bad. She even got a call from a very upset Vesta asking her how come she never showed up for Celia's birthday party. Jill, of course, had lied through her teeth, telling the older woman she did not feel so good and chose to stay at home instead.

For Winter Thanksgiving, this year she had decided to stay inside. That night, Jill sat by herself in a chair by the kitchen's window. She watched the slow fall slowly, and closed her eyes, falling into some sort of trance. This sucked. She hated being lonely, but it was for the best. He thoughts drifted off to the memory of Marlin and Celia talking in front of the seed shop that day. Marlin's stern look as he let her down for the billionth time already. Celia clutching on her pretty dress. Jill sighed. It was not fair, was it? Celia had been waiting patiently for his feelings to change for years... then some random girl from the city comes and snatches him away from her?

"_I can't do this._", she whispered to herself those words again, her breath fogging up the window a little. She lifted her hand up and lazily wiped it against the cold glass. She squealed, eyes going wide as she was surprised by the familiar face of a certain farmer boy popping up in her front. Had he been watching her all this time?

"_Are you talking to yourself?_", Jill heard him say in a muffled voice. "_Woman, I swear, you are going insane._"

The brunette shook her head, proceeding to facepalm at him for a moment. She motioned towards the door, and he followed, going inside as soon as she opened it for him. He silently took his coat off and hung it nearby, some snow falling and melting on the floor.

"_What do you want?_", she asked in an unusual distant tone. He scoffed, watching the woman cross her arms in front of her chest. She had pink pajamas and thick socks on, he noticed.

"_Have you been avoiding me?_", Marlin asked, his gaze boring into hers. She looked away, getting the feelings that he might be trying to read her mind. Of course, he couldn't, but it wasn't like keeping secrets from him was that easy. In fact, she hated it.

Jill shook her head, placing the tea cup she had been holding in the kitchen table. "_Not at all._", she shrugged, her back at him.

"_You are so full of shit right now._", she felt him whisper in her ear, shocked by how fast he got to her. Jill turned around, her eyes on his as she shot him a determined look. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips curved down.

"_I'm not avoiding you._", came the insistent reply. She stook a step back as he took a step closer towards her. Uh oh. What was he doing? "_I've been busy. Listen, Marlin, not everything is about you, okay? God, you are so self-centered!_"

He stook another step forward. She felt her back touch the cold, tiled wall. "_You are so troublesome._", he grumbled, resting his arm on her side, supporting himself against the wall. "_Something's up and you're not telling me._"

"_Fuck off, Marlin!_", the brunette yielped, pushing his chest away as he pressed further against her. His arms wrapped around her, and she froze in place. Her nostrils inhaled his scent frantically, that delicious smell of masculine cologne she had grown so found of lately.

It didn't take too long until Marlin heard her sobbing against him. Her arms initially hung loose on her sides, but slowly wrapped around his waist, too. He petted her head, comforting her but still unsure of what was bothering the object of his affections.

Jill brushed her face against the fabric of his dark blue shirt, wiping away a few tears before looking up at him with puffy eyes. He held her chin up so she could not look away again.

"_Celia... I don't want to upset her... I feel like I'm stealing you away from her. I think... I'm just a terrible person._", she finally admitted, closing her eyes. When they shot back up, he no longer held her chin in place, and his gaze upon her was cold, with a hint of anger she just couldn't place. He took a step back.

"_Are you going to let something like that get between us that easily?_", he scoffed, rolling his eyes at her. Marlin turned around, waving his hand dismissively at the farmer girl. "_Honestly, Jill, I thought you had more faith in us. But now I see this is all just a joke for you. I'm done._"

Marlin felt a tug on his shirt as he attempted to storm off. He peered behind his shoulders, catching glimpse of Jill holding him in place white her other hand covered her face in shame. She rubbed her eyes and sobbed in frustation. Why did things have to get to this point?

"_Don't talk about my feelings like you know them so well..._", she mumbled, letting go of his shirt as he fully turned to her again. Jill looked at him through bloodshot eyes. "Do you really have such a low opinion on me? Do I look like the kind of girl who just uses someone for the heck of it and then tosses him aside? Really, Marlin..."

The blue eyed man just stood there, quiet. She was going to do it. She was going to let it all out.

"_It's painful... to watch a sweet girl like Celia suffer with her unrequited love. I am supposed to be her FRIEND, right? Yet here I am, meeting the guy she likes in secret while she's forever stuck with her hopes. I've always put everything before my own needs. It's not easy to just disregard her feelings like that, Marlin, I'm sorry... that's just not me._", she confessed, leaning against the wall once again, her palms pressing against her eyes. Jill had so much rage bottled inside her, and he never knew. But most important, she was mad at herself.

Marlin scooted closer, embracing her once more. She was hesitant at first, but eventually decided to relax and rested her head against his shoulder. He was warm, she liked that. "_I'm sorry for being such a dick. It's just that..._", he paused, not really wanting to admit this, but it was now or never. "_Well, I'm afraid we might not be on the same level here. I really want to take this... whatever we have, forward. I think you are very... interesting._"

She just stood there, and nudged, urging him to carry on. He grinned, planting a small kiss on her forehead. It was unlike him, to be this caring, but he felt she needed him to soften up for once. "_I understand, though. You are good friends with Celia and you don't want to crash this little perfect illusion she has created for herself... but understand, too, that she is never going to get what she wants, Jill. Not as long as she insists on pursuing me. Someday she will find a way to move on, and you can't keep sacrificing your own happiness in order to make others happy instead. You need to be a little selfish from now on. Do it for yourself._"

Jill nodded, her face lifting up as her eyes met his. A small smile curved up his lips, and he was relieved to see a hint of her old self had been restored. "_Yes. If you don't mind, then, I will be a little selfish for a change..._"

She closed her eyes, standing on the tips of her toes as she lifted herself up, placing her lips softly over his. He responsed by pressing right back and cupping her face with one of his hands. Her face was getting really hot. Marlin smiled against their innocent kiss, melting against the woman before him as it deepened, her tongue flickering against his agonizingly slow. This was definetly the best kiss they had shared so far.

Marlin held her neck while his other one snaked its way down her frame, resting at her waist. Jill was somewhere between thin and fit, probably thanks to all the hard work she did at the farm. She was just his type.

"_Uh.._", she gasped, feeling him placing a leg against her, pressing it against her most intimate parts. Thank god she was wearing something, because otherwise the poor woman would have gone crazy from all the contact by now. She was not too far away from that, however. Marlin was surprisingly good at "the thing" and knew exactly the right spots. This was a rather obvious one.

The farmer smirked against her neck, enjoying the sounds she was making. He trailed kisses up to her mouth, much to her pleasure, and she shivered with anticipation.

Jill did not protest when Marlin started to work on the buttons of her top, this time. They were kind of large and rather easy to undo. He gazed down at the newly exposed skin, taking in the sight of her creamy, C cup breasts. Of course, she wasn't wearing a bra. She was about to get ready to sleep when he got to her place.

The brunette blushed madly upon noticing the way he was looking at her. His eyes were pure hunger, and this was a side of Marlin she had not seen before. It kind of scared her, to be honest, but it was really exciting.

Just before he could resume his fondling, the couple was suddenly interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Lumina's voice echoed from outside. They cringed.

"_Fuck._", he cursed under his breath, running his hand through his Elvis-like hair. Jill giggled, nudging him on his side as she buttoned up her pajama top. "_What could she possibly want? It's late._"

She stood before him once he was done putting on his clothes, and held a hand up to his face. He stared at it, confused. "_Indeed it is late. You should go._", he pointed towards the kitchen. The room had a back door and she would rather have him use it instead in order to avoid any unneccesary gossip the next morning. Lumina was a nice girl, but Jill knew how fast these stories tended to spread across the valley.

Marlin nodded one last time before giving her a quick peck on the lips. He zipped up his coat and ran off the back door, making sure no one saw him on his way out.

"_Jill? I know you are there!_", called her persistent friend. She rolled her amethyst eyes and sighed, before opening the door. She fought the urge to laugh as she spotted Marlin sneaking out near the fences. "_There you are. Is someone here?_"

"_No, why..._", the girl farmer asked, trying to sound casual about it. She closed the door shut as Lumina made herself home, settling down on the couch.

"_I don't know. I could have sworn I overheard someone talking to you._", the short haired woman shrugged, then frowned, her head shooting up and peering behind the couch. Her honey brown eyes met Jill's amethyst ones. "_Anyways, I must have been mistaken. Listen, I really needed to see a friendly face._"

"_Yeah?_", Jill sat down on her armchair, eyeing her friend with curiosity. She looked worried. "_What's up?_"

"_I think I'm freaking out!_", Lumina threw her arms up in the air. "_The wedding is only a week from now. Jill... do you think we are getting to ahead of ourselves?_"

The brunette chuckled and got off the armchair. She sat next to her friend and petted her head. "_Oh dear. Don't worry. I did think at first Rock might have been a bit too hasty with the proposal and all, but I think he has matured a lot since you guys got together. He's gonna be a great husband, and you are going to be a great wife._"

Lumina brightened up at Jill's kind words, her lips stretching into a content smile. She hugged the girl farmer tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. "_Thank you so much, Jill. Oh, and I hope it's not too late to ask you to be my bridesmaid!_"

"_No problem, hahah._", she giggled, playing with her short strands. That night, Jill allowed her friend to crash at her place as it was already too late to go back home on her own, and the snow was falling too hard. They ended up having a quite pleasant girl's night, which is something Jill had missed those few days she had been down. But now, everything was fine again in her world.

She felt a little weird about the bridesmaid too. Maybe it was a pattern that was starting to take place? She had been the bridesmaid for Muffy's wedding, too. The farmer wondered silently when her turn would come. Maybe someday she would be able to shine, too.


	22. Paired up

**CHAPTER 22 - Paired up**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

The following week, the days seemed to pass by evenly. Jill did not have much to get done except tending to her animals and the crops she was growing inside the isolated barn, so life was pretty dull during that time of the year. She found herself starting to miss a certain blue eyed man that lived on the other side of the island, though, and decided she would make up some excuse to pay him a visit.

"_Afternoon._", she said, barging into the seed shop. She received nods from both Vesta and Celia, who seemed to be the only people in the store right now.

"_Hey Jill. What can I do for you today?_", Vesta asked, tucking a pencil behind her ears. She was probably bored, as Jill noticed a bunch of bills and letters on top of the wooden surface.

"_I need some strawberry seeds._", the brunette sat in front of the counter and placed her arms on top of it.

"_Strawberries? But dear, it's winter_.", Vesta explained carefully, arching a brow at the younger woman. Celia watched the scene unfold with curiosity, her broom in hand.

"_I know. I have a special barn in my farm where I can grow crops even when they are out of season, with the help of a few special stones I've found while mining._", Jill said proudly.

"_Wow, that sounds neat!_", Vesta sounded more excited than usual. She got up slowly, and walked into the back. Shortly after the bulky woman came back with a heavy looking seed bag in her arms. "_Is this enough?_"

"_Yep. I don't need a lot. The space is not that big._", Jill grinned, and placed a certain amount of money on the counter. She took the bag on hands with a huff, surprised by it's weight, but it was bearable. "_Thanks, Vesta._"

"_No problem!_", she said, her hands on her thick waist now. "_Make sure to bring those stones here sometime! I'm definetly interested in finding out more about them._"

"_Sure!_", Jill nodded, walking out of the shop. She waved her friends off and disappeared through the door.

...

As soon as she took a few steps outside, Jill was surprised by a firm hand gripping on her arm. She whinced, dropping the bag on the snow by accident and finding herself bumping against someone. Turning on her heels, Jill grasped the hand and pulled it away from her, proceeding to touch the area where it hurt. It didn't hurt that bad, in fact, it was probably just the shock that bothered her the most.

"_Buying seed bags during winter?_", she heard a masculine voice being directed towards her, as her eyes shot up, amethyst against icy blue. She smiled, quickly forgetting about her arm. "_Forget about what I said that day. You ARE pathetic._"

"_Jerk._", she smirked, placing her hands on her hips. Why did Marlin have to act like such a tease all the time? Well, it was a part of his charm too, she thought.

"_You're running out of excuses to stalk me._", the farmer chuckled, walking over to the seed bag and bending down in order to pick it up. He could feel her casting him a dirty look. "_I'm kidding. Here, let me help you carry this home._"

"_Are you driving me home?_", Jill asked casually. She was impressed by how easily he carried the bag, seemed to not be affected by its weight at all. She wished she could be as strong as him sometimes. For a sick man Marlin sure could work hard.

"_No._", he shook his head negatively, his eyes closing for a moment, then opening again. "_I had to send it to get repaired. God damn, I hate this time of the year._"

They walked side by side through the village, making sure they were a safe distance from eachother so they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. Marlin didn't really care about others thought of him, but he wasn't so sure about the girl farmer herself. Ever since the last time he paid her a late visit he wasn't exactly sure where they stood.

"_Here we are._", she said, as they halted by her door. "_You can leave that here. I'll carry it to the barn myself._"

He nodded and put down the seed bag. She gave him a small smile, and unlocked the door. "_Do you want to come him and have some tea or something?_"

"_Actually, I should go back to work._", Marlin scratched his head absentmindedly. He caught her arm once again before she could step in, making her face him. She cocked her head to the side, staring at the sly grin that formed across his lips. "_I'm not sure if you heard..._"

She leaned against the frame, licking her lips. "_Yes?_"

"_Rock asked me to be his best man._", he said, placing his hand on the wall and supporting himself on that arm. He hovered over her and she hadn't noticed how tall he was until then. Not basketball player tall, but definetly dark, tall and handsome tall. "_Did you tell him about us? I mean, me and him are far from being friends, I consider him an acquaintance at best._"

Jill blushed at the word "us". It still sounded so unusual to her, having something with him that was beyond friendship. Yet, they weren't together either. It was so hard to define. She mentally slapped herself for drifting off so much. "_No, I didn't. But he is my best friend, and Rock can be surprisingly intentive. Maybe he picked on on something we did, but I don't know._"

"_I see... maybe we are not being as cautious as we thought we are._", Marlin scratched his chin, feeling the stubbles of his growing beard. He needed to shave in time for the wedding, came the mental note. Jill blinked as he gave her a discerning, sincere smile. "_This is actually a very good opportunity, don't you think? Maybe if people see us together more often it won't be such shocking news when we decided to go official... I mean... if things work out. You know._"

The brunette giggled as he stumbled on his own words. It was cute, Marlin didn't want to admit it out loud but he was hinting that he wanted something more other than just fooling around with her. She felt the same way, but they would see how things would go from there. "_That makes sense._"

The farmer turned his back on her, peering behind his shoulder as he wished her a quick goodbye and saying he would see her later. She smiled to herself, eyes on his back as he quickly vanished from sight.

Jill entered her house humming a song to herself, now actually feeling she had something to look forward to the weekend.

...

It was Saturday and the villagers gathered up at the spot dedicated to the valley's special events in order to celebrate Rock and Lumina's wedding day. The place was looking beautiful, adorned by many white and red roses, and Romana made sure her precious granddaughter would have the happiest day of her life. Rock was lucky, actually, because he could never afford to put together a wedding like that. His original idea was a small thing at the inn, but that was quickly discarded by the two rich women.

"_I still can't believe Rock asked you to be the best man._", Celia mumbled, casting Marlin a weird look as they lounged at a table, waiting for Romana to let them know when to take their proper spots for the ceremony. "_I would have guessed he would ask either Kai or Gray._"

"_Well, Kai isn't going to be back until summer, remember? And Gray doesn't live here either, so he probably had some business to do elsewhere._", he shrugged, feeling her had adjusting his tie. "_Anyway... I guess I was his only choice? I mean, we have talked a few times before. He's not that bad once you get to know him..._"

"_Wow. Marlin has friends?_", Vesta laughed, and he cast her a deadly glance, which she didn't really mind. "_What's happening to you, kid?_"

"_Shut up._", he grumbled.

The three of them looked towards the beautifully adorned wedding arch in the distace, their attention caught by Romana shouting and waving her arms up above her head. Marlin smiled shyly, noticing Jill standing next to the elderly woman. She eyed him and smiled back, waving as discreetly as possible.

"_Attention, attention!_", Romana said in a loud tone. "_The wedding is about to start! Please take your spots, everyone!_"

The villagers and guests started to move, most of them sitting on the chairs placed in front of the arch. Mayor Thomas, from Mineral Town, stood behind the arch. He had authorization to marry people and would hold the ceremony.

Marlin mouthed a "hey", taking his spot on one of the sides near the arch, his blue eyes on Jill. She had a pretty ruffled lilac gown on. She blushed and winked playfully at him, causing a grin to appear on his face.

The traditional wedding music began to play, and Lumina appeared on her long, white wedding dress with Sebastian, Romana's butler, on her arm. He walked her to a very tense looking Rock and advised the young man to take good care of his bride. Rock grinned and took her arm on his.

Lumina and Rock halted by Mayor Thomas. The music came to an end, and he began to speak his lines. The couple exchanged "I do's" and rings, and everyone clapped as they kissed passionately, finally concluding the necessary formalities.

Rock scooped his new wife up in his arms, spinning her around as she giggled in a very girly manner. He walked past his guests, looking very stimulated. "_Let's get this party started!_"

...

The band began to play a cheerful rock beat, and the couple had their first dance, invinting everyone to join in.

"_This is nice._", Jill said, her cheeks going pink. She felt her face going unusually warm and concluded she's had enough alcohol for the night. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself in one of her good friend's wedding party. Her head rested lightly against Marlin's shoulder. He looked really good in his tuxedo, she thought.

"_Mhm._", was all he could say, not entirely sure of what she meant.

"_Being able to be seen with you._", she lifted her head, eyes meeting his. "_It's nice._"

He smirked and nodded, continuing with their slow dance. He wasn't that much into dancing, but Jill was a little light headed and some other guy was trying to convince her into dancing with him. Marlin, of course, had intervened, and figured he'd dance with her instead. For her own good, you know.

Not too far away from there, Celia sighed, her head resting over her arms as she sat with Vesta on a table. The older woman had already noticed the brunette had been staring at those two dancing for an entire minute, and she softly put her hand on her head, petting there.

"_Marlin never dances with me._", she heard Celia complain. "_It doesn't matter how many times I ask him, he never feels like it._"

Vesta just decided to stick with her silence, not sure what to say. It was hard to comfort the young woman when she actually felt happy to see her younger brother finally getting along with someone. That and she just liked Jill, overall. She was such a nice, hard working girl.

"_What do you think, Vesta?_", Celia asked, her chocolate orbs shooting up to meet the older woman's face.

"_What do I think about what?_", came the cynical reply. Celia frowned.

"_Do you think there's something going on between those two?_", she used a finger to point at them. At that moment, the music had stopped and they hesitantly broke off from eachother. They exchanged restrained smiles, and parted, Jill going to Muffy's and Griffin's table as Marlin walked towards Lumina and Rock, congratulating the newlyweds.

Vesta sighed, her fingers playing with Celia's brown hair. "_Who knows?_", she shrugged. "_But like I always say, this is none of our business. In my honest opinion, dear, you need to focus less on what Marlin does and more on what you can do to make yourself happy._"

Celia raised herself so now she sat up straight, turning towards the bulky woman, who removed her hand from her hair in the process. She widened her eyes, shocked by the sincerity in Vesta's words. She'd usually avoid talking about the situation between Celia and Marlin, but maybe she was holding back her opinion all this time. "_Maybe you are right..._", she said in a low voice, sounding disappointed.

A hand came in between the two woman, startling them. Celia looked up, her gaze falling upon a tall, somewhat strong looking man in his mid 20's. He had long brown hair tied in a low ponytail, and a short, messy fringe. His deep indigo eyes had a glint of determination in them.

"_Hey there, I'm Cliff. I just moved in... do you wanna dance?_", he asked condifently, his cheeks a faint shade of red. Celia was kind of attracted by the rough tone in his voice. So manly. It reminded her of a certain someone...

"_Uh. Sure._", she said shyly, casting Vesta a last glance. The bulky woman winked and told her to go have fun.

"_I'm Celia, by the way..._", the brunette added as he walked her to the place the other guests were dancing. He spinned her around and smirked. "_I work at the seed shop._"

"_I know._", he chuckled, and she blinked several times, wondering what else exactly did he know about her. The girl shrugged, figuring she'd leave all the questioning for another time.


	23. Closure

**CHAPTER 23 - Closure**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

The day after Rock and Lumina's wedding, a Sunday, Marlin decided he'd get some good rest and maybe stay home. Jill had told him she'd hang with Muffy so they could catch up and do some girl stuff, and he found it funny to have her explain herself to him. Maybe they were starting to act like a real couple? It was indeed a little disappointing to find out they weren't going to meet. Oh well.

That afteroon, the farmer lounged in the livingroom, watching some TV. He quickly found it to be quite boring, and he wasn't used to it either. It was too bad he couldn't go out and find something more interesting to do. It was snowing out, and his sister would make his life hell if he was caught exposing himself to a cold.

Celia came down the stairs, her eyes falling upon Marlin's dark hair showing from the back of the couch. She smiled and walked over, taking a seat next to him.

"_Oh, hey Celia._", he greeted his female friend, the distant look upon his face still there.

Celia shifted uncomfortably in the couch, and avoided his gaze. He saw her bite her lower lip. "_Can we talk?_"

"_Sure._", Marlin replied calmly, using the remote to turn off the TV. He placed it down on the coffee table nearby, and was surprised as she grabbed his hands abruptly. He was about to retreat them, but she tightened her grasp on him, holding him still. Marlin untensed, watching her face. Celia was blushing.

"_Marlin, be honest with me please._", she muttered, looking down at their hands. Her chocolate hued orbs shot up, burying into his alluring azure ones. He gulped down. "_Are you and Jill seeing eachother?_"

Marlin jerked his head back, freeing his hands from her touch. He gasped, brows furrowing. "_Whoa. Where did you get that from?_"

"_Don't deny it._", she frowned, clutching her dress. "_I see the way you two look at eachother... I'm not blind, you know._"

The farmer got up and shoved his hands inside his pockets, obviously upset and not really wanting to get into this. She grabbed his arm before he could walk away. "_Please.. please, Marlin. I need to know the truth._"

Marlin let a sigh escape his lips, then returned to his seat. He lowered his head, staring down at the floor, his hands on his neck. The two fell silent for a while, then he finally raised his head, his cold gaze fixing upon the black TV screen.

"_Okay. You're right._", he admitted unwillingly. He was done lying to Celia, it wasn't fair with her. It also felt good to finally get this off his chest. "_I've been seeing Jill. But we are not together... not exactly._"

She arched a brow at him, quietly wondering what he meant by that. Maybe Jill was too shy and didn't want people to find out about them? Celia thought that if she ever got a man like Marlin she'd never feel ashamed of it. She'd actually want everybody to know how happy he made her. She frowned at the thought.

The young man watched as her face reflected a wave of different emotions, which was only fair considering the feelings she had for him. He was astonished when he saw her smile brightly at him.

"_Thank you for telling me this._", she said, some kind of relief taking over her, but she was still really upset for losing Marlin so someone else. However, she was mature enough to know she held no power over his love life, and eventually she would have to move on. Maybe it would happen faster than she had expected, at least she hoped so. "_If you're gonna get with somebody I guess I'm glad it's Jill. She's really nice._"

Marlin nodded, a little content by seeing how well she was taking this. She leaned against the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

"_I... got an anonymous love letter a while ago._", she mentioned, attempting to change the subject. Marlin simply eyed her, so she decided to carry on with it. "_I actually met the guy who wrote it yesterday at the wedding._" Celia looked down at him again, and smiled. "_Sorry, you don't want to hear about that._"

"_No.._", he grinned, not really minding it. "_Go ahead._"

"_Alright._", she giggled, and rambled on. "_His name is Cliff. He just moved in, but he's seen me before during his first visit to the island. He told me that at the wedding he decided to grow some balls and approach me._" Celia laughed at the expression, using his own words.

"_Do you like him?_", Marlin asked.

"_I don't know... I just met the guy._", the brunette answered. "_When I first got his letter I thought it was a little creepy. I even considered calling the police, but it just wasn't worth the trouble. Now that I actually know him it seems sweet..._"

"_Girls._", he rolled his eyes. "_A guy tries to do something nice and they think it's creepy. Go figure._" Celia merely laughed at him, and Marlin rose to his feet. "_Well, if you decide to date him make sure to introduce me to this Cliff guy. I want to make sure he's not playing you or anything like that._"

Celia smiled up at him, finding it funny how Marlin acted like an overprotective brother sometimes. "_Thanks, Marlin._"

He nodded, then walked up to his bedroom. "_Anytime._"

...

Later at night, Jill got a visit from the blue eyed man she had grown so found of lately. She was actually surprised to see him there, considering she had let him know she would be spening most of her day over at Muffy's and would most likely not see him.

"_Sorry, I know you didn't plan to see me today._" he apologized, an awkward look upon his handsome features. Jill grinned and shut the door, hurrying him into the kitchen. She served him some tea and they sat comfortably in their chairs.

"_It's alright._", she smiled kindly, resting her chin on her hand. "_I'm glad you came._"

A small blush crept upon his face, and he reached for one of her hands, playing with her fingers. They exchanged glances. God, her smile was breathtaking.

"_I think Celia is finally starting to move on._", he blurted out. Jill gave him a concerned look, but all he could do was smile. "_She met a guy._"

"_That's good._", she muttered, sipping on her tea. He let go of her hand and put his usual poker face back on.

"_Listen... I told her about us._", Marlin revealed, and she hed to keep herself from spitting out. Jill gulped down hard and widened her amethyst eyes at him.

"_What?_", she questioned, tensing up.

"_Sorry Jill... she figured it out by herself. I just confirmed her suspicions._", he sighed, closing his eyes.

"_Marlin!_", Jill got up from her seat, clearly agitated. Jill faced forward and back. She was worried about Celia's reaction.

"_I told you._", the farmer said firmly, rising to his feet and stopping her on her tracks. He held her wrists up at her and bore his eyes into hers. "_She found someone. Celia needed closure, and that's what I gave her_."

Jill breathed out heavily, scowling at the man before her, but he slowly felt her relax. He pulled her in for a hug, and she buried her face gently against his chest. "_As long as she's happy._"

Marlin planted a small kiss on her neck and took in her sweet scent, appreciating the feeling of having her in his arms like this. He nudged her hair, surprised by how silky it felt. "_Now that Celia knows, how about we stop being so secretive about this?_"

She looked up, not having expected him to say that. Jill seemed deep in thought for the next few seconds. "_I don't know, Marlin... we are not even sure where we stand. I mean... what is this? What are we doing?_"

The farmer took a step back, hesitantly letting go of her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and cast her a challenging glance. "_You tell me._"

Jill sighed, spinning around in her spot. She faced the livingroom, and tilted her head to the side, not sure of what to say. "_Well... I like you._"

He smirked and approached her once more, wrapping his arms around her waist. She blushed, feeling his weight against her back. He was so damn warm, it was not normal. "I like you too.", he muttered under his breath. Marlin spinned her around so she was facing him again, and tilted her chin up with his finger. "_We could say we are dating._"

The brunette gulped and took his hand in his so he no longer held her face up like that. "_Okay._"

Marlin chuckled and sat down in a nearby chair. She wondered was so funny about this. "_You know..._", he spoke, pulling her to him and making her sit down in his lap. Jill went pepper red at how intimate it felt. "_I think this is my first time having a girlfriend. I mean, a real one. I've been with girls before, mostly when I lived in the city, but it never lasted._"

Jill grinned down at him, and played with his curly, dark hair. "_Maybe it's your oh-so-charming ways._", she mocked him, using her free hand to squeeze his cheek. He groaned irritably in response, and scowled. He was specially cute when he was mad, she thought quietly. "_Seriously though.. I think I'm on the same boat. I've had a couple of boyfriends during high school, but those were small time things. Never lasted too long._", she shrugged.

"_Well, you're not the easiest person to deal with, either._", Marlin smirked, earning a light smack on the back of his head. "_Outch._"

"_Rude._", she stuck her tongue out at him and got up from his lap. He grabbed her hand and they stared at eachother defiantly.

"_Who said you were free to go?_", he said dangerously, narrowing his eyes at her. She laughed, slapping his hand away.

"_Leave._", Jill ordered, opening the front door. He grumbled something and stood up, not really wishing he had to go, but she was right. Both of them had to get up early in the morning and get some work done on their respective farms.

The brunette pulled him in for an ardent kiss as Marlin passed the doorframe. He grunted against her lips, and she shoved him away, shooting him a libidionous squint. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep it together and not pounce on her right there. She was being so cruel, teasing him like this. "_Good night, boyfriend._"

Marlin shook his head, grinning, and watched her slam the door on his face. He laughed out loud and took off, beggining to like how she put it. Boyfriend. She was his girlfriend.

Disappearing into the snowy night, the blue eyed man wondered how the change in their relationship would reflect on their lives from now on.


	24. Swimsuits

**CHAPTER 24 - Swimsuits**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

The ice began to melt away and Forget-Me-Not-Valley said goodbye to its last days of winter. The villagers gathered for New Years Eve, as usual, and had another get together the following day. It was overall quite entertaining, and people seemed to start getting used to see a certain couple around without the need to gossip or cringe about it. It was weird to think about them in a romantic way, though. Jill and Marlin were complete opposites. She was bright and friendly, and Marlin was always the guy sulking alone in the corner of a bar.

Celia was often seen hanging with Cliff, too. They weren't together or anything like that, considering they met recently, most precisely at Rock and Lumina's wedding party. However, something seemed to bloom between them, and everyone was glad to see the brunette finally redirecting her attention to someone other than Marlin.

Speaking of which, Marlin and Cliff actually got along after being introduced to eachother by a very hesitant Celia. Maybe it was their similar personalities that made the affinity possible. Who knows? Cliff always seemed to be lost on his own little word, he was enigmatic and uncommunicative, but he was definetly more sympathetic to others than his blue eyed associate.

On Spring Thanksgiving, the farmer paid his girlfriend a brief visit in order to drop by some homemade cookies. He had asked Vesta to cook some, and she gladly complied, so happy so see her little brother's relationship was working out. Jill beamed at the offering, and hugged him tightly, reminding her man how special he was to her. Even now it was absurd, to think of that simpleton, blue eyed farmer boy as hers. He annoyed her to no end, and vice versa, but once they found themselves alone they couldn't keep their hands off eachother. Jill felt deplorable, being enamored to such a man.

The climate in the Valley moderately became warmer. Kai, the snack shack guy, came back earlier this year claiming to have missed the island too much. He had suggested they threw a party at the beach to celebrate his early arrival, and everyone seemed to think it was a good idea. He would be providing all the food, anyway.

Jill and the other girls had decided to take a short trip to the city in order to shop for new swimming suits. This time even Celia was excited to go, too. They returned the next day, in time to help the others set up for the party. The girl farmer hushed towards Marlin, who helped Kai, Rock and Griffin set down plastic white tables on the sand. He smiled and greeted her with a quick peck on the lips.

"_Hey._", she blushed, and waved at the other three man working nearby. They nodded, not wanting to interrupt the couple. "_Need help with that?_"

"_No, don't worry about it._", he grinned, placing four chairs around the table. He noticed she still had her luggage in hands. "_Go home and change. When you girls come back everything should be set._"

The brunette nodded and hurried home. Muffy drove her there, and decided to change at her friend's place.

"_I bet Marlin's jaw is going to drop once he sees you in this._", the blonde giggled, helping Jill put on her new bikini. It was a deep purple with tiny white butterflies on it. Muffy skillfully tied it around her back and spinner her friend around so they were facing eachother.

"_You really think so?_", Jill smiled, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. She grabbed a black barrette and tied her hair in her characteristic high ponytail.

"_Of course._", Muffy smirked, beggining to get dressed herself. "_By the way, how come you guys haven't done it yet?_"

"_W..what?_", the brunette stuttered, bumping against her closet. "_How do you..._"

"_Girl, it's me. Muffy. I can sense the sexual tension between you two from afar._", she laughed, now done putting on her green bikini and grabbing a light cotton white sundress from inside her bag. "_How long have you been doing this dance, anyway? Even before you guys came out as a couple I could tell something was up._"

Jill quietly sat down on her bed and frowned, searching her memories for the answer to her friend's question. She scratched her head. "_Uh.. I think since last summer? Whoa, it's been almost a year._"

"_Right._", Muffy smiled, sitting down next to her and putting on her sandals. She tossed Jill the colorful beach wrap and laid nearby and a pair of dark blue jeans shorts, which the brunette put on so she would not feel so exposed. "_You must be killing the guy, holding back all this time._"

"_I never thought about it that way._", Jill blinked, not realizing it until now. Her blonde friend stood up and took her hand in hers, squeezing them lightly.

"_You guys should do it when you are ready. Don't do anything stupid._", she advised, acting like a worried mother. Jill laughed and tossed her the car keys, signalizing it was time to go.

"_Don't worry about it._", she assured, sounding carefree, but the butterflies in her stomach said otherwise. "_I'm a grown woman, and it's not live I've never had sex before. I know what I'm doing._"

Muffy eyed her one last time before following the farmer outside, where they took off in her car, heading towards the beach.

...

The get together had already started by the time the two best friends got there. Kai had turned on the sound, some reggae and ska music playing alternatively in the background. Muffy ran towards her husband and hugged him, and the older man blushed furiously at the feeling over her ample bosom against him. She giggled and took a seat next to him.

Jill covered herself in the beachwrap before leaving the car, and grabbed her straw bag. She approached Marlin's table with a small smile, dropping her bag in one plastic chair then sitting on the other. He gazed in the usual icy way at her, arching a thick brow. "_Are you cold or something?_"

"_Uh?_", she mumbled, looking down at herself, then back up at him. "_Oh, this? I always wear beach wraps to these kinds of parties. I'm not very comfortable with the bikini Muffy picked for me._"

"_Why'd you let her choose then?_", he leaned forward, grasping at the wrap and pulling on it, trying to get a better view at her attire. She whinced and slapped his hand away, a pout forming across her lips.

"_I wouldn't deny her the pleasure._", she rolled her amethyst eyes, watching him retreat his hands, a fake pained look upon his face. "_More like she forced me to go with this one.. ugh._", she kept on mumbling, gritting her teeth.

Marlin stood up lazily, and stretched out before taking off his white shirt, throwing it over her bag. He grinned down, noticing the way she was staring at his hard abs and toned chest. All that hard farm work paid off, she thought. His words snapped her out of her trance. "_Do you wanna go for a swim?_"

Kai came from behind her and placed some citric tasting cocktail on the table, then quickly left to serve the other tables. Jill sipped slowly on her drink, and gave him an awkward smile. "_I think I'll just stay back here._"

"_Suit yourself._", he scoffed, before turning around and running towards the water. The water must have been cold, she guessed, but he dove in quickly, forcing himself to get used to the chilly feeling as fast as possible. The brunete cocked her head to the side, only to see Muffy walking towards her and taking Marlin's old seat. She had huge sunglasses on. It suited her.

"_Are you slow?_", she asked in a raspy manner, her own alcoholic drink in hand. She was thankful she had already given birth, because during the pregnancy Muffy could not drink at all, and that was one of her favourite things in the world. Jill scowled and furrowed her brows at her friend.

"_What?_", the girl farmer grumbled. Muffy reached from across the table and slapped her in the forehead playfully.

"_Your hot, grumpy, sexually frustated boyfriend is all by himself swimming._", the blonde smirked, watching Jill rub her forehead and groaning in frustation. "_Go get some awesome under-the-water action, you silly._"

"_That doesn't sound very practical._", came the unimpressed reply.

"_You are avoiding this._", Muffy concluded out loud, placing a finger to her lips, then resting her hand back down over the table. "_Why are you avoiding this?_"

"_Avoiding what..._", Jill started to feel bothered by how intrusive Muffy could be. Best friends stuff, she figured.

"_SEX!_", the blonde threw her hands up in frustation, earning glances from nearly everyone at the beach. Jill threw herself over the table, almost knocking her drink over in the process, and covering Muffy's mouth with her hands.

"_You are so loud!_", she cringed, releasing her and allowing her weight to settle back down on the chair. Her voice lowered to a whispering level. "_I'm just... I'm just worried, okay? I really like Marlin. I don't want to disappoint him._"

Muffy titled her head to the side, her blonde locks bouncing down. "_And why do you think you are going to disappoint him?_"

"_I don't know..._", Jill said, fidgeting. "_What if I'm not good at it? I mean, it's been a while since I've last had sex with anyone..._", she closed her eyes, looking worried. "_And what if he doesn't like what he sees? When I get, you know, naked..._"

The blonde gave her a sympathetic smile, and got up, embracing her best friend. Jill blushed and kept her gaze fixed upon her drink. "_Aw, don't worry dear. I'm sure Marlin doesn't care about any of those things._", she grabbed the brunette's chin and tilted her head carefully to her. Muffy winked, a grin spreading across her rosy lips. "Y_ou got yourself a good man._"

Jill smiled shyly, watching as her friend walked back to her husband's table. She sighed, her gaze shifting and falling upon the sea, where a very lonely Marlin floated, his eyes shut close. The brunette got up from her seat abruptly, and ran off towards the water, making it splash everywhere. Marlin snapped his eyes open and dove his body back into the sea, watching his girlfriend swim hurriedly towards him. She giggled and pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"_Now, that's a pleasant surprise._", he said, and she followed his gaze, which was set down on her modest chest and the pretty bikini top she wore. Jill blushed madly and hugged him tightly, trying to block his vision of her.

"_Pervert._", he heard her mutter. Marlin chortled and cupped her face in his hands, planting a soft kiss upon her lips. They were salty from diving into the sea. Jill grimaced nervously and used a finger to play with his wet hair. "_Do you wanna come to my house after this?_"

The farmer blinked several times, looking a little bewildered from the sudden invitation, but he's been to her place many times before so he thought nothing of it, in the end. "_Sure._", he smirked. "_Hey, wanna go grab something to eat? I'm starving._"

"_Okay._", she nodded and followed him hand in hand out of the water.

...

The villagers partied during the rest of the afternoon, and oddly the assemble seemed to carry on past nightfall, turning into some sort off "luau", minus the hawaiian characteristics. They gathered around a fireplace Kai put together and shared stories, and Jill sat with Marlin behind her. She felt him nudge her neck softly as Gustafa talked about how his life was before he arrived in Forget-Me-Not-Valley. He sure could ramble.

"_Since you invited me to your place..._", he whispered against her ear, sending small shivers down her spine. "_Do you mind if I sleep over?_"

Jill peered behind her shoulder, amethyst eyes locking with his blue ones. "_Isn't Vesta going to be worried?_"

"_Please. I'm a grown man._", he chuckled, but he could definetly picture his older sister scolding him for not showing up after the party. He cringed. "_I'll give her a call, though, just to let her know I'm okay._"

The brunette smiled amiably and brushed the top of her head against his chin. "_Do you wanna go home now?_"

Marlin scanned through the villagers, his icy gaze falling upon Gustafa. It didn't look like the hippie would stop rambling anytime soon. He chuckled. "_Get me out of here._"

The couple got up, saying it was getting late and bid farewell to their friends before taking off on Marlin's pickup. On their way to the farm, Jill had to keep herself from fidgeting, and she felt even more butterflies growing on her stomach.

"_Maybe nothing is going to happen._", she thought, clutching her damp shorts. "_I'm overthinking. I need to relax._"


	25. The first night

**CHAPTER 25 - The first night**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Marlin parked his pickup on the farm and the couple got off the vehicle. He took Jill's hand and helped her out with a faint smile across his features. God, he was handsome. In a very masculine way, she thought. It was a rare kind nowadays.

"_So, today was fun uh?_", she asked nervously, using her keys to open the door to her house. Marlin nodded as they walked in, greeted by a very cheerful Buddy. The dog nudged both of them before running out through the small entryway set up specially for him.

They just stood in the spot between the livingroom and the kitchen, as the young woman rambled on about how cute Muffy and Griffin's baby girl looked in her little swimsuit. She was very pretty indeed, inheriting most of her features from her mother. Jill finally decided to shut up when she realized Marlin wasn't saying anything back, he just stood there by the door listening. It was like talking to a wall.

"_Erm._", she blushed, scratching the back of her head. Her fingers worked up through the barrette, removing it and tossing the small object aside. "_I guess I'll go take a shower or something._"

As she turned around and walked off towards the bedroom, Marlin intently watched her drop the beach wrap on the ground, exposing her attractive back view in a quick move. He groaned and reached out for her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and pulling her to him.

"_Marlin, wha-_", the brunette gasped, feeling his nose against her neck and his frame against her. He breathed in her scent, her sweet scent, which now was slightly tainted by the smell of the sea. It wasn't a bad mixture, actually, it was rather interesting.

Marlin spinned his girlfriend around, holding her wrists up as he caught her lips on his. She moaned audibly against him, which only turned on the man before her further. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, dancing against hers in a passionate way, until they finally ran out of breath.

Jill smiled up at him, and he smirked mischievously, picking her up in his arms before she could protest. She squirmed and wiggled, and he kicked the bedroom door open, before placing her carefully on the comfortable bed. He was surprised when she clutched on his shirt, pulling him towards her forcibly, and he found himself hovering over the girl farmer, his face reddening visibly.

"_This needs to go._", she grimaced, grabbing the hem of his top and helping him out of it. Marlin dipped his head so their lips met again, furiously, lustfully. His hands snaked up and down her sides, before resting over her breasts, feeling the fabric of her bikini. It was still damp from diving in the sea earlier that day.

The brunette felt him pulling her towards him, lifting her back off the bed for a moment as he untied her top with a swift movement. Not bothering to undo the top tie, she just helped herself out of it, and tossed the garment aside. He gave her a hungry look and she flushed, finally realizing what was going on. Her arms flew to her chest in an attempt to cover the exposed flesh, but he pinned her wrists up above her head almost too steadily. Jill whinced in pain, and he gave her an apologetic smile, loosening his grip on her poor, thin wrists.

"_Don't._", he told her firmly, and she could tell he was talking about the sudden impulse she felt to hide away. She scowled and blushed even more, if possible, turning her face away. Her amethyst eyes nearly bore a hole in the wall. He chuckled, face descending upon hers as he nibbled lightly on her ear, causing the young woman to flinch. "You are beautiful."

Jill jolted her head back up to face him, and a soothing smile took place across her lips, still red from kissing. Marlin put his usual oblivious look on and began to trace her neck with his lips luxuriously, and she let out a small moan, letting him know how much she was enjoying this. He grinned against her creamy skin and placed his palms on top of each breast, rubbing them. Jill's moans began to come out more frequently, and they encouraged him further. Marlin planted more kisses along her body, going down in a slow pace, and stopping just between the two mounds of flesh.

"_G-ah!_", she exclaimed, burying her hands into his dark locks as she felt his craving mouth over one nipple, sucking and nibbling, his tongue lapping over it daintily every now and then. As he began to pay attention to the other side, his hand traveled now past her torso, navel and resting just inside her tighs. Jill sharply drew her breath, eyes shooting open for a brief moment, as she felt his fingers pressing against her through the fabric. She then squeezed them shut, relaxing into the feeling. Damn, it felt so good.

Marlin lifted himself again so he was face to face to her, supporting himself on his other arm as his fingers worked their way inside her bikini bottoms, and he smirked as she jerked against his touch on her most inner parts. He circled her clitoris torturously slow, enjoying the faces she was making, and felt her gowing wet against his hand. Deep inside his mind Marlin thought this was probably the most erotic thing he's seen. He was loving every minute of it.

"_I.. I'm.._", she stuttered, opening an eye and exchanging looks with him. Her whole body shivered in apprehension. Her small hands grasped the sheets fiercely, and Marlin watched her face go red. She bit her bottom lip as if trying to hold something back.

"_Uh, uh._", he grinned, halting his work on her. It took a few seconds to realize he had stopped, and her amethyst eyes widened at him, wondering what was going through his mind. "_Not yet._", he said, beggining to rub her again, so slow she felt like she would die.

"_Marlin..._", her voice sounded weaker than she had planned. Before Jill could say anything he quickly removed the remaining garment, stripping her off any article of clothing. She lay there, vulnerable to his will, and he felt empowered at the visage before him. Marlin shifted and rested himself between her partially open legs, and she inhaled sharply, feeling his desire for her brushing against her inner tigh.

"_I'm sorry._", the blue eyed man said out of the blue, earning her attention back towards his face. He looked a bit remorseful. "_It's hard to restrain myself around you... and it's been a while._", he admited, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "_We don't have to do this if you don't want to._"

Jill smiled innocently and cupped his face, pulling him closer to her. She planted a kiss on his cheek and laid her head back down on the pillow. "_Trust me. If I didn't want this as badly as you do I would have already beaten the shit out of you._"

He chuckled and hugged her tightly, burying his face on her silky brown hair. Jill grasped at the hem of his bermuda shorts and began to tug down, earning a confused glance from her man. She arched a brow suggestively at him, and smirked.

"_You asked for it._", Marlin smirked right back, easily removing his shorts and throwing them at some dark corner of the room. He reclaimed his place between her legs and used his hand to guide him to her entrance. She tensed up, pulling the sheets towards her as Jill felt him enter and fill her with his lenght. Marlin wasn't huge, he was just slightly above the average, which was good. The thought of sleeping with a man with a huge member actually scared the heck out of Jill.

The farmer moved in and out of her, building speed and pressure with time. Soon enough his breaths became carnal groans, and Jill had to keep herself from screaming his name over and over. Takakura lived in a house nearby, and he sure would not appreciate all the crazy sex noises emitting from her house at a time like this.

"_I'm close.. Marlin, I'm so close..._", she spoke against his ear, hugging his waist tightly so they made as much contact as possible. Marlin increased his pace as she trembled against him, her muscles clenching, and she wasn't able to muffle her cries anymore. Jill came hard on him, the bliss from her orgasm filling her with joy and satisfaction, and she lay limp on the bed. Shortly after, Marlin began moving inside her once again, attempting to build his own peak. This could take a while longer, considering he had to pause in order to let the girl vent.

It was a rather pleasant surprise to see Jill cumming again not too long after this, but this time her peak lasted for a short while, and it was definetly less intense. It was good nonetheless, she figured, and Marlin kept on pumping in and out of her, feeling wild like an animal. He gritted his teeth and cried out something incomprehensible, before spilling inside her.

"_Oh god.. Oh god._", he smiled, moving inside her just a few extra times before pulling out and laying lethargically next to the young woman. "_So... good.._"

Jill smiled broadly and cuddled up against him, resting her head above his chest as he panted. Marlin's heartbeat was still accelerated from all the action, and he was ridiculously warm and sweaty. He kissed the top of her head, then dropped his head on the pillow, closing his eyes.

"_Oops. I think I need to go to the restroom._", she squealed, feeling something threaten to drip from her nether regions. That's right, they didn't use a condom. Jill wasn't so worried about it though, her period had recently ended so she wasn't even in her fertile days.

Marlin simply mumbled something and drifted off to sleep, not bothering about taking a shower or anything. She giggled and hopped off the bed, walking into the bathroom so she could clean herself up. Jill turned on the shower, figuring it would be just easier than merely wiping herself with toilet paper.

When the brunette came back into the bedroom, Marlin was already out. She put on some panties, but since it was hot she would not bother putting any additional clothes, and hopped into bed next to him. Jill put her face against the back of his neck and inhaled his cologne, admiring the smell of it, like she always did.

How was it possible, she wondered. He always found her to be so troublesome, and she always thought of him like that rude man that pushed everyone away. But it was not like that at all. Marlin could be peculiarly loving and gentle, but it was a side him he tended to hide, maybe for his own good. She sighed happily and finally found her way into slumber, her thoughts always on him, the person that at that very moment she cherished the most.

...

**A/N:**

Hey guys! Sorry, I know this chapter was short but I felt like it needed to be separated from the rest of the story :3

I'd like to thank everyone who have been following my story and a special thank you to my reviewers! Justasmalltowngirl2713 your review gave me butterflies aswell, lol. I remember staying up late reading fanfiction when I was in school too, and it was so great! Haha.


	26. Aftermath

**CHAPTER 26 - Aftermath**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

...

The morning after their first time together, Jill still felt a little sore; it had been quite some time since the last time she was intimate with another man. She winced in her sleep, before shaking the covers off and finally realizing it was time to wake up. Her amethyst eyes opened lazily and a yawn escaped her mouth, arms stretching up as the brunette sat down. She let her gaze shift to the other side of the bed, falling upon the very toned back of a sleeping man. That's right, she thought. They had done it last night. Jill felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled the events of the past evening, and how pleasant it was to be with him in such an affecionate way. She couldn't wait until they had the chance to do it again.

As if reading minds was possible, Marlin turned around with a growl, his mysterious blue eyes piercing into hers. A smirk played across his lips, and she squealed, feeling his hand fiercely gripping on her arm and forcing her to scoot closer. "_Marlin!_", she cried out, earning no response from him. Instead, he preferred to dip his head into her neck, darting his tongue across a spot he knew was special for her, and she moaned audibly, unable to resist him.

Suddenly, Jill felt a bump against her stomach. She pressed her hands against his chest, reluctantly, and looked up at him with an expression of pure disbelief. "_Whoa. Really? Now?_"

"_What?_", he grinned, arching a thick brow at her. Her eyes widened at him and before she could protest Marlin rolled on top of her, planting butterfly kisses down her neckline. "_Don't say you were not thinking the same._", his fingers traveled down her tighs and pressed against the wet spot on the thin fabric of her white panties.

Jill blushed many shades of red, and he laughed at her before resuming the task at hand. He pulled down the annoying garment, throwing it somewhere else and felt glad nothing else was blocking his way into her. Marlin placed himself properly between her legs, arching her hips up just a little so he could have more control over his own movements. She yelped, and he entered her with a single push, almost too roughly for her taste. But that was Marlin for you, passionate, yet headstrong.

After a while of keeping up with their frantic rhythm, Jill found herself reaching her peak. She rolled her eyes and digged her nails into his back, gasping for air as an overwhelming sensation came all over her body, and then eventually seemed to die down. He pulled out and signalized for her to turn around, and she obediently complied. Marlin helped prop the young woman on all fours and buried himself into her once more, pumping in and out of her like his life depended on it. He leaned over and she turned her face towards him, kissing her man with eagerness as Marlin came deep inside her with one final thrust.

"_Phew._", he huffed, before pulling out once more. He dropped his own weight lethargically on the comfortable bed, still warm and sweating from all the action. "I could get used to this."

"_Yeah, don't abuse it._", she smirked, throwing a pillow at his face and hopping off the bed. "_I'm gonna take a shower._"

Marlin's hand reached for her wrist before she could walk away, and she blinked at him, not sure of what he could possibly want from her now. His lips curved up in the most suggestive smile she's seen before. "_Can I come with you?_"

...

After a homecooked breakfast, the farmer kissed his girlfriend goodbye and headed off to Vesta's farm. Before that, he took the time to call his sister and tell her he was on his way back home. Clearly, the older woman was very pissed at Marlin for not bothering to call her the previous night, but she seemed to understand when he dropped the hint he had been invited to sleep over somewhere else.

Jill carried on with her usual duties, such as tending to her crops and animals. By the end of the afternoon she was exhausted and sweating from the upcoming heat, and ran back inside the house in order to take a nice, cold shower.

"_Ahh. Much better._", the brunette sighed contently, stepping out of the bathroom minutes later. She put on a cute sundress and a pair of mary janes, and figured she'd pay Griffin's bar a visit so she could catch up on the local gossip with her best friend.

"_You look tired._", Muffy pointed out, her emerald gaze falling upon the figure of the girl farmer approaching the counter. Jill took her usual seat and gave the blonde an aloof smile, resting her cheek against her hand.

"_Long day._", she muttered. "_Can I grab a drink?_"

"_Sure, honey._", the barmaid turned on her heels, grabbing a bottle and a glass, before turning back to the counter and playing around with some fruit and whatever liquid was in the container. She playfully dipped a small umbrella into the drink and handed it over to Jill, who thanked her quietly. "_So, what's up?_"

"_... nothing._", came the dismissive answer, but Muffy was a smart woman. She caught the hint of a smile that spread across her friend's lips before she could conceal it.

"_You did it!_", she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in order to stop herself from squealing like a little girl. Jill furrowed her brows at her and waved her hands in front of her, hoping they would not end up catching any unneccesary attention. The bar was nearly empty, and only a few villagers occupied the place, but she had been living here long enough to know how fast rumors spread across the island. Muffy smirked fratically and tried to keep her tone low. "_How was it?_"

Jill gave her a dreamy grin, and played with the small umbrella in her drink "_It was like... wow._", she paused, searching for the right words, but it was complicated. "_I didn't know he could be so good at it._"

"_What did you expect?_", Muffy asked curiously, leaning against the counter.

"_I don't know._", the brunette shrugged, before sipping on her drink. It was good, and really refreshing. "_He's always so reserved. I figured sex with him would be kind of vanilla... it wasn't exactly like that._"

Muffy laughed and shook her head down at her best friend. "_Well, you know what they say about the quiet ones._", she winked, before walking out from behind the counter and towards another table, where a costumer waited impatiently.

...

On her way out of the bar, Jill decided she'd grab some dinner before heading back to her farm. Maybe Ruby could cook her something nice? She smiled to herself, heading south towards the Inn, but her steps came to a halt as her ears caught strange sounds coming from behind Daryll's lab. She silently concealed herself into the shadows, hiding behind a tree, as her amethyst eyes scanned the area for the source of those sounds.

Jill had to keep herself from gasping when she caught sight of Celia and Cliff making out furiously against the wall. The sounds she had heard were actual moans and grunts erupting from the couple. Celia's hair looked awfully messy and Cliff's fur lined top was slightly undone, his chest hair exposed for the world to see. Even in the dark she could tell how red their faces were from the close contact. The girl farmer blushed and turned around, breathing hard, her back leaning against the tree. What if they heard her? She had to get out of there!

Before she could tell what was going on the brunette found herself running back towards her property, quickly forgetting about dinner. She would make herself something when she got there.

Marlin sat on her footsteps, and waved his hand up once he noticed his girlfriend running through the farm's gates. She looked a bit disturbed, and excited, too. "_Uh. Hey._", she gave him an awkward grin, trying to catch her breath. "_I didn't know you were coming over tonight._"

"_I thought I'd surprise you._", he grinned, bringing himself up. "_Did something happen?_"

"_Oh... yeah._", Jill fidgeted with her keys before opening the door. Once they were inside, she closed the door shut behind her and chuckled. "_Kinda had a disturbing sight just now._"

"_Of what?_", Marlin asked casually, following her to the kitchen. Jill opened one of the cabinets and took out a package of instant noodles. She was too tired to cook herself something decent.

"_Do you want some?_", she asked, taking a peek at him from behind her shoulder. He waved his hand at her dismissively. "_Okay. Well, I was running up to the Inn because I thought I'd grab something to eat before coming home..._", she filled a pan with water and put it on the over to heat up. Jill turned on her heels and rested against the counter, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. "_Then I heard some noises and I thought I'd check it out._"

"_So nosy._", he mocked, and she stuck out her tongue at him before carrying on with her little tale.

"_Anyway... turns out I almost walked in on Celia and Cliff being all lovey dovey behind the lab._", she laughed, taking the raw doodles out of their package and dumping them inside the warm water. "_It was so embarassing! Thank god they didn't notice me, uh?_"

"_Cliff and Celia were making out behind the lab?_", Marlin seemed to tense up in his seat, and slammed his fist against the table, his pearly white teeth gritting in anger. "_What do they think they are doing?_"

"_Hey, hey, what the heck mister!_", she scowled down at him, causing Marlin to realize how worked up he had gotten. He sighed and leaned back against the chair.

"_I'm sorry. It's just that.. you know, Celia is like my little sister._", he gave her a sad look, and she mumbled something to herself, turning back to her food. She put some sauce over the noodles and dumped the water on the sink, before placing everything neatly on a clean plate.

"_Whatever._", she grumbled, obviously not in a good mood. Marlin rose to his feet and pulled her to him, only to meet her judging eyes. He cringed.

"_Oh, don't be like that._", he groaned, hugging her waist, but she simply eyed him suspiciously and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "_You know I care about her. I'd hate to see some guy step all over her feelings, you know._"

"_Just like you did?_", Jill sneered, and he parted from her almost instantly. It was Marlin's time to get upset.

"_Wow. That hurt._", he frowned. "_This wasn't a good idea. Maybe I should go._" Marlin felt her tugging on his white shirt as he turned away. He cursed under his breath, feeling his blood boil. "_What now?_"

Jill laced her arms around his back and buried her face on him. He just stood there, frozen in place, wondering if she would have the guts to speak anytime soon. "_I'm sorry._", he heard her whisper, and turned to meet her regretful eyes. "_I know Celia found someone else, and I'm happy you guys are on good terms but... I can't help but feel a little insecure. I feel like someday you'll just grow tired of how complicated I am and run off to some other woman's arms._"

Marlin blinked a couple of times at the woman before him, before pulling her to him for a tight, loving hug. He placed his lips to her ear. "_You are so silly. There is no reason to be insecure._"

The brunette giggled and shoved him away with certain hesitation. She was hungry and her dinner awaited her. "_Are you sure you don't want to get something to eat?_"

"_Actually, I had something else in mind when I decided to come here._", he said, passing her by with a wide smirk upon his face.


	27. Afternoon Delight

**CHAPTER 27 - Afternoon delight**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

A/N: Gasp! A new chapter is up!

Guys I am SO sorry for taking this long, I tend to lose interest in my stories sometimes but I do intend to finish what I started.

...

It was almost noon when the pickup parked near the farm. Marlin hopped off the vehicle in his usual attire, jeans, shoes and white shirt. With a bag tossed over each shoulder he moved towards the storage, passing by the main gates as he had done countless times before. He set down the bags on the ground and felt the harsh sunlight on his back as he straightened up again.

After taking a stroll across the vast fields he spotted his girlfriend Jill crouched and tending to some of her crops. The brunette got up slowly and yawned lazily, wiping sweat off her forehead. She stretched and tilted her body to the side, then the other, trying to give her poor muscles some sort of relief. Marlin watched everything in awe, her long toned legs, her slender arms and the way her stomach peeked out when she threw her arms over her head, lifting the shirt slightly in the process. Sure, by now he had seen all of her but seeing her at work was something else entirely. Marlin had always admired her for her hard work, and now that they had finally done the deed… well, it made him see her in an entirely different light. It was like everything she did screamed SEX.

When she finally picked up on his presence she turned her head and smiled sweetly, failing notice the hungry look in his eyes. _"Hey!"_

Marlin rushed to her and embraced the young woman possessively, his lips crushing against hers while she just stood there in shock. It didn't take long until he had her moaning in delight at the way he pressed his fingers against her hips, keeping her steady, and the way his mouth ravaged hers.

_"What is this for?"_, she smirked, feeling his hands making their way up to her sides, then claiming the base of her breasts, squeezing lightly over the fabric.

_"Nobody should be allowed to look this good all the time."_, his lips curved up matching her own expression and her heart fluttered at the statement. She just loved the way he made her feel. Marlin picked her up, causing Jill to yelp in surprise, and settled her on the nearby fence. She sat and blinked as he settled between her legs, moving his body as close to hers as he could before devouring her mouth once more.

Jill breathed heavily as Marlin started nibbling and kissing his way down from her neck to the part of her collarbone that was accessible. He loved the taste of her, even her sweat, it made him delirious. Then his hands were back to fondling her bosom, snaking under the shirt and pushing her bra down. He pinched a nipple, causing her to cry out in delight, exactly the kind of response he wanted. His hands ventured down after a while, very careful and slow, as if trying not to alarm her. Jill was so entranced by his caresses she barely even realized what was going on. When she felt his skillful fingers working the buttons on her jeans shorts though, something made her snap back to reality.

_"Marlin!"_, she pulled back from the kiss, her face red and lips swollen. He gave her a lazy, half lidded look and that confident grin that just screamed "smartass". Jill, on the other hand, looked serious and a little bothered by the whole thing. _"We're out in the open! Behave yourself."_

_"Nobody will see us…"_, he mumbled, about to dip back down to her neck but she put her hand over his handsome face.

_"Takakura lives right next door, remember?"_, she said, forcing him to look at her. _"He could walk in on us anytime."_

_"I do hate interruptions."_, Marlin concluded out loud, his alluring blue eyes shooting up at the sky. He took a deep breath and she thought he was finally going to calm down, but much to her desmay Jill found herself getting picked up again, only to get carried to the back of the barn, away from curious eyes.

Jill wriggled madly, to no avail. _"Let me go!"_, she protested, waving her arms, but he held her securely until they arrived at the chosen spot, in the shadows. _"Marlin!"_

_"I love it when you say my name."_, he chuckled while settling her down carefully, before backing the poor girl against the wooden walls. He supported himself by placing his arms on her sides, also making sure she wouldn't just shove him off and walk back to work. Marlin leaned dangerously close to her ear and smirked. _"I like it better when you are screaming it out loud."_

_"Jerk."_, she nipped on his lower lip when he tried to kiss her and he let out a short laugh. She couldn't help but smile too, and maybe part of her was thoroughly enjoying how spontaneous her boyfriend turned out to be._ "What has gotten into you today?"_

_"Withdraw?_", he blinked his blue eyes at her._ "I think I may be addicted to you."_

_"You don't say?"_, the farmer shot him a mock look of surprise. Marlin slowly moved closer, pressing her against the wall, his hand hosting her legs up and forcing her to wrap them around his lips. He steadied himself and looked her deeply in those amethyst eyes.

_"Oh yes."_, he mumbled against the skin between her neck and shoulder, before placing a kiss or two on that sweet, sweet spot. _"You've created a monster."_

_"Ahh."_, she purred happily, feeling his mouth against her throat and his hands on her chest. _"I apologize for that. Maybe we shouldn't do it anymore then."_, Jill giggled.

_"Don't even joke about that."_, he perked up and looked her dead in the eye, his mouth a tight line, before both broke into laughter. After the moment passed the couple found themselves staring into eachothers eyes, and Marlin hovered his lips over hers, almost as if in a trance. She bit her bottom lip and gave him a shy smile, before unwrapping her legs from his waist, her feet touching the ground once more.

Marlin tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he head the noise of buttons opening and her shorts and underwear hitting the ground. He picked her legs up again, burying his face against her neck as he undid the buttons on his own pants, not quite pulling it down all the way. He positioned himself at her entrance and heard Jill groan in a mix of pain and pleasure as he took her in one single, rough push of his hips.

_"I'm so gonna need a shower after this."_


	28. The Storm

**CHAPTER 28 - The Storm**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

It was Thursday morning and Marlin found himself sitting at home watching the weather channel while sipping on his coffee. The lady on the TV pointed towards the area which affected Forget-me-not-Valley and explained there would be a big storm and advised everyone to stay at home. The raven haired man picked up the remote and turned off the TV, leaving his mug on the coffee table nearby. He figured if he was going to stay inside bored all day he might aswell do it over at his girlfriend's place.

Peeking his head out the front door he saw what the weather forecast lady meant. Dark skies lied ahead and they were coming this way. Vesta and Celia sat on the bench outside the house and the older woman seemed to instantly notice her brother standing there.

_"You're not thinking about going out today, are you?"_, she asked with concern.

_"Going over to Jill's."_, he stated, picking the car keys out of his pocket. _"Don't worry, I'm taking the car. I'll be there before the storm starts."_

Vesta and Celia exchanged looks but all his sister did was shrug. It was useless, once Marlin made up his mind it was impossible to convince him otherwise. _"Then go now, you don't wanna risk catching a cold or something."_

Marlin grinned down at the two women and nodded, before walking hurriedly towards his car. Some raindrops had already begun to fall and hit him lightly on his exposed arms and face._ "Shit."_, he muttered under his breath as he opened the door on the driver's side. He drove as fast as he could without breaking any traffic laws and when he got to the front of the farm it was already pouring outside.

Marlin wiped his shoes on the welcome mat and knocked three times, but there was no response. He tried calling the girl farmer's name, but nobody came. Feeling frustrated, he furrowed and looked around, spying a brunette head moving in the distance, partially covered by the tall grass. He opened his umbrella and jumped the fence, making his way towards her.

_"What are you doing out in the rain?"_, he asked, touching her shoulder from behind and causing the poor woman to jump in scare. She looked rather pale.

_"Shit Marlin, you scared me!"_, Jill exclaimed while grabbing his arms. Her amethyst eyes held a strange glimmer, as if she had been crying, but it was hard to tell because of the raindrops that fell all over her face. _"It's Buddy, I can find him anywhere! Last time I saw him today he was chasing off a coyote, but he hasn't come back yet!"_

_"Do you think he could have gotten lost?"_, Marlin asked while taking a step closer to her and letting her take cover under his umbrella. She was shaking.

_"I.. I don't know. Maybe the rain makes it hard for him to find his way back? I've tried calling his name all morning but he just won't show up. This never happened before."_, she said in the verge of tears.

_"Calm down. We're gonna find him, alright?"_, Marlin smiled kindly and handed her the umbrella, which she took in hands with a confused look upon her features. _"I'm gonna go see if he ran off into the woods. You stay here and keep trying to call him."_

_"Marlin!"_, she called while grabbing his sleeve before he could walk away. _"Don't! You shouldn't be out in the rain either!"_

_"I'll be fine."_, he gently removed her hand from his sleeve and placed a light kiss on her forehead, before strolling off._ "I'll be back soon, don't go anywhere!"_

…

It was almost midnight and Jill was worried sick. Towards the end of the afternoon she forced herself to give up and just hoped Marlin would manage to find Buddy. She found herself wrapped in a blanket and sipping on a mug of hot tea while watching the window, praying to the Gods they would bring both his boys back home safe.

There was a knock at the door and she bolted out of her seat, flinging it open. Marlin stood there with Buddy in his arms, a nasty wound on one of his legs, but aside from that the dog looked in good shape. The blue eyed man placed him on the bundle of sheets he liked to sleep on and the couple watched as his breathing became steadier, thank god.

_"He'll be fine. The coyote only managed to bite him in the leg but I think it's nothing serious. You should call the vet just in case."_, Marlin finally said, and Jill looked at him apprehensively, finally taking notice of how soaked and pale her boyfriend looked. He started to cough and fell on his knees, covering his mouth with his hands and squeezing his pale eyes shut like he was in some sort of deep agony.

Jill kneeled beside him and rubbed his back while he coughed and coughed, and fear seemed to creep up inside her as she could tell something was really, really wrong. _"Marlin?"_, she called, but he wouldn't stop coughing, his face so pale he looked almost dead._ "Oh god, Marlin?"_

When the coughing finally came to an end, he removed his hands from his face slowly. She could see clearly all the deep red stains on his palm and fingers, some beginning to run down his forearm as he simply stared at the bloody mess in front of him. His eyes shot up at her and for a moment Jill could see how scared he really was. _"… damn…"_, he blurted out before going limp and fainting on her carpet. Jill let out a yelp and rushed to the phone, dialing Vesta's number as fast as she could.

_"Vesta? Vesta!"_, she cried on the phone as her boyfriend's sister picked up.

_"Whoa calm down there, Jill. What's going on?"_, came the voice from the other side of the line.

_"It's Marlin.. he… he fainted! Oh god there is blood everywhere!"_, Jill blurted out, her eyes on Marlin's frame in her livingroom. _"I need help!"_

_"Oh no… Hang there dear, I'm on my way. Call Doctor Trent!"_, Vesta said before hanging up. Jill obediently called the doctor and explained everything while trying not to burst into tears again, and she was lucky to hear he was still in town running some exams on other villagers.

…

It was bright. Awfully bright. One eyelid popped open hesitantly, and he almost groaned in agony, finding it was all just too much.

_"Did I get hit by a truck…?"_, Marlin mumbled and found his voice to be awfully strained, and his throat was a little sore. When he gathered up enough courage to open both eyes, he looked around and found he was inside some sort of improvised clinic. He sat up and blinked a couple of times, before pressing a palm against his forehead. _"Outch. My head is killing me."_

_"Marlin?"_, he was caught off guard by a female voice coming from the other side of the room and saw a very weary looking Jill sitting in an old armchair, looking as if she had just woken up too. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open for a moment before she rushed to his side and kneeled beside his bed. _"Oh thank the goddess, you're awake!"_

_"Uh?"_, Marlin shot his brows up, still a little overwhelmed._ "Wait, what is going on? Where are we?"_

_"Trent's clinic!"_, she said while grabbing his hand and holding tight. _"You don't remember? Three days ago you went out looking for Buddy and.. and when you came back… oh Marlin, I thought you weren't going to make it!"_

Marlin felt her squeeze his hand and saw small tears forming on the corner of her eyes. He fought the urge to wipe them away. _"I was out for three days?"_

_"Yeah. You were in pretty bad shape."_, Jill explained while wiping a stray tear that rolled off one of her eyes. They looked at eachother and suddenly she couldn't handle it anymore, and threw herself in his arms._ "I'm so glad you're alive."_, he heard her breathe next to his ear. _"I don't know what I would do without you."_

Marlin chuckled, but when she released him he realized the serious look she held upon her young features. _"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let you go out in that storm. I'm so dumb…"_

_"Don't."_, he said while caressing her hair, and she shoved her face on the mattress, sobbing._ "Look Jill, I was reckless with my health, this isn't your fault."_

_"I… I was just so… worried…"_, she managed to let out between sobs.

Marlin let her cry for a while and rubbed her back gently before and nurse Elli finally walked in. He gave Marlin a smile and picked up a clipboard before walking towards his patient and the sobbing girl kneeling next to him.

_"Marlin, I'm glad to see you finally woke up."_, he said, while scribbling something on the paper. _"I told Jill here it would be okay but she just refused to leave your side."_

_"Such a drama queen."_, Marlin grinned and earned a pout from his girlfriend, who was trying to recollect herself, with much difficulty.

_"Okay, you look like you're in good shape and your color is back. Do you feel any discomfort?"_, Trent asked as Elli looked through some bottles of medicine in a shelf nearby.

_"My throat is a little sore and my muscles ache, but it's not that bad."_, Marlin explained calmly.

_"It's probably just a common cold. I'll give you some medicine and you'll feel better in no time!"_, the doctor said and soon enough Elli had some of those bottles ready in a bag for when he was allowed to leave. _"In any case you should stay home for the week and rest."_

_"Ugh. Really?"_, he groaned but was cut off by Jill looking him dead in the eye.

_"Don't even think about working this week. I'm gonna watch you like a hawk, Marlin. And I'll tell Vesta and Celia to keep an eye on you too."_, she said with determination and he thought maybe he had finally met someone who was just as stubborn as he was.

_"But…"_, Marlin blinked, and Trent waved a hand in front of him dismissively.

_"Save it. She's right, pal."_, he chuckled and turned to Jill. _"Listen, I gotta run some exams before I let him off the hook. I'll call his sister when I'm done so she can drive him home, okay?"_

Jill seemed hesitant to leave him, but there was nothing she could do but deal with it. She nodded, a frown forming across her lips. _"Call me when you get home?"_, the girl farmer asked and Marlin offered her a small smile.

_"Sure thing."_, he caressed her cheek, before pushing her away gently. _"Now go get some rest, I'm sure you could use some too."_

Jill bit her lip and nodded one last time before exiting the clinic, leaving her man to the care of and Elli. Marlin laid there watching her walk away. Had she turned around she wouldn't have missed the miserable look upon his face when she left.


	29. Secrets

**CHAPTER 29 - Secrets**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Jill couldn't be more frustrated. Ever since that episode with the storm her boyfriend had been incredibly unavailable to her. When she knocked on Vesta's door the day after they left the clinic the older woman explained Marlin still wasn't feeling so well and he wanted to be left alone. Being the reasonable girlfriend she was, Jill completely understood, and figured she could try again the next day. Well, turns out the next day he didn't want to see her either. Nor the next. Or the next. To make things worse, he never picked up the phone.

Two weeks went flying by and the only days Jill managed to meet him in person he was always too busy "running errands for his sister". None of it made sense, Vesta never Marlin to work overtime before, especially now considering how ill he had been only a few days back.

_"This is ridiculous."_, she slammed her fists when she finally caught him working behind the counter that week. Vesta and Celia were out in the city, apparently. Marlin just sighed and looked up at her annoyed expression.

_"What is?"_, he said, a dark brow shooting up.

_"Look, I get it, you were sick, it sucked."_, Jill explained, holding his gaze. She thought he looked somewhat uneasy and unable to look her in the eye for too long without letting his sight drift elsewhere. It was all too suspicious. _"But have you notice you've been strangely unavailable these days? I mean, what the heck, Marlin! I'm worried about you!"_

_"I'm fine!"_, he groaned, throwing his arms up in the air before dropping them once more upon the counter. _"I've just been busy. That's all."_

_"Oh hell no."_, she leaned over the counter and poked him in the shirt, earning an annoying glance from her man. _"You're hiding something, pal. I can tell. There is no way Vesta would let you work so much! Not in this condition!"_

_"Well guess what, I don't need my sister's permission to work overtime if I want!"_, Marlin narrowed his gaze on her and scowled. _"Just back off, Jill!"_

_"Back off?"_, she gasped, obviously insulted. Jill closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, shaking her head slowly. When she opened her eyes again, she frowned and covered his hand with hers._ "Marlin, please… just talk to me."_

_"There is nothing to talk about. You're acting crazy."_, he mumbled and removed his hand from under hers._ "Now if you don't mind, I got work to do."_

_"You know what?"_, Jill huffed and straightened up, placing her hands on her hips. _"Screw you, Marlin. Enjoy your WORK."_, and with that she stormed off.

Marlin watched her go, not before slamming the door in the process. He sighed heavily and ran a hand across his face. _"God damn it."_

…

That night the Blue Bar was crowded with villagers and tourists. Muffy worked behind the counter as usual, advising Jill on her recent issue with a certain blue eyed man. The blonde smirked and leaned closer to Jill, who was sulking since the moment she got there.

_"Aww sweetie, what happened?"_, she said while gently rubbing her friend's shoulder.

_"I don't even know, Muffy…"_, Jill mumbled, looking defeated._ "He just won't talk to me! I've been trying to spend some time with him for days and he always says he's busy!"_

_"Well, are you sure he just didn't have too much work piled up?"_, Muffy asked, not certain what the routine of a farmer was like anyway.

_"Nah, no way. He almost died two weeks ago! Vesta wouldn't be crazy to let him do any unnecessary amount of work."_, Jill explained, earning a nod from the barmaid. _"I'm telling you, he's been avoiding me. And I don't even know what I did to deserve it!"_

After a couple more drinks Jill just couldn't take it and broke into tears. Thankfully, the sound was muffled by the music and loud chatter around. She sensed someone sitting beside her, but refused to look up. She was both too drunk and embarrassed at this point.

_"Such a fine looking lady should be crying like that."_, she heard a smooth, masculine voice coming from her side and curiosity finally got the best of her. The brunette rubbed her eyes against her sleeve before lifting her head and turning towards the newcomer. He was a man in his 20s, tall, lean and very pale. His hair was silvery and stylish, and his eyes were a gorgeous shade of teal that almost took her breath away the moment she looked into them. When she didn't reply, all he did was smile. _"The name is Skye."_

_"Jill…"_, she offered her name in a low tone, still a little bit shocked by his bluntness. _"And trust me, I got plenty of reasons to be crying."_

_"If it's a man, he probably doesn't deserve you. And I know for a fact it's always a man."_, he chuckled, and she couldn't help but smile right back at him.

_"You're not from around here, right?"_, she asked casually, noticing his clothes. He wore a leopard print shirt that matched the silver tone of his hair, purple pants and fancy shoes. One could say he looked almost like those young guys who work at Japanese host clubs.

_"Nope. I'm from the city. But I decided I like it here so you might see me around more often."_, Skye smiled seductively and motioned towards Muffy so she could fetch his order. The blonde nodded and quickly prepared his drink before placing it in the counter and leaving to take orders elsewhere.

Muffy was shocked to see Marlin walk in considering how busy Jill said he had been lately. He seemed to have notice his girlfriend in the counter and was probably thankful she had her back at him, because he was ready to turn around and walk right out the door again. The blonde rushed to his side and grabbed his arm, forcing the man to hold his ground. _"Hey there Marlin, long time no see. Came to fetch a drink?"_

_"Yeah but I remembered I had something else to do somewhere."_, he said in a low tone, careful so Jill wouldn't hear him.

_"Cut the crap, you're an awful liar."_, Muffy smirked and pointed towards the silver haired man seated right next to the girl farmer. _"That young gentleman over here has been trying to flirt with your woman since he got here. Now I know for a fact you don't like other guys sniffing around your territory so I just thought I'd let you know."_

Marlin stared at the two of them talking in the counter. The stranger said something and Jill laughed, her fingers playing with the straw in her drink, but all he could do was stay silent. _"Jill is a big girl. She can take care of herself."_

Muffy cast him a look of pure disbelief. He mumbled a goodnight and left with haste, and she found herself too shocked to do anything else to make him stay.

_"What on earth is going on with those two?"_

…

Another week went by and Jill and Marlin were still not talking. This time she didn't call him or tried to visit him at work, she fought every urge to contact that stubborn man, but man it was killing her. Jill rolled in her bed sighing and thinking when did things go so wrong, and after a good while just staring at the ceiling she got on her feet. If she wasn't going to get any sleep then she might aswell take a stroll.

She found herself walking all the way to the Goddess Pound. Maybe it had been a bad idea because it was Marlin's favorite hangout spot after all, but it was also a great place to think, so she forced herself to go anyway.

_"You're here?"_, Jill called sadly, surprised to see Marlin himself laying on those rocks. She really didn't count on her boyfriend being out so late, then again it wasn't something she did often either. When Marlin heard her his head shot up and he made himself sit, his eyes wide.

_"Jill? How did you know I was here?"_, he asked as she took a few steps closer, not recalling having told anyone he was going out tonight.

_"I didn't."_, she gave him a small, shy smile, and sat in one of the rocks by the pound, taking a considerable distance from him. The way he had been acting and the time they spent not talking made her too uneasy in his presence now. It was almost like they were strangers all over again._ "Maybe it was a force of the destiny that brought me here? Hahah."_

_"Hm. Yeah."_, his lips quirked up in an awkward grin, which faded just as fast. _"Anyway, I've been wanting to talk to you."_

_"Now you wanna talk?"_, she said in irony and shot her brows up at him, but she would allow him to carry on. _"Sorry. Go on."_

_"I…"_, Marlin started, but he seemed pained for a moment. He took a deep breath, let his gaze roam across the surface of the water, then looked her straight in the eyes. _"I think we should break up."_

Jill felt her heart drop. Sure, things haven't been the same since the incident and they allowed themselves to slowly drift apart, but couldn't they just work it work? Wasn't it worth a try? _"What?... why?"_

_"It's just not working out anymore."_, he looked away, purposely dodging her gaze. _"It's the right thing to do, for the two of us."_

_"You're kidding me, right?"_, she asked incredulously, dragging herself closer. He could see the tears that started to form in the corner of her eyes. _"The right thing to do is act like adults and fix this! Whatever it is that has been troubling you!"_

_"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do…",_ he started but was interrupted by her hands grabbing his arms. She forced him to look at her because god damn it, there was no way he could ever be serious about ending things like this.

_"Stop!"_, she pleaded, hot tears rolling down her face but she didn't care, all Jill wanted right now was to talk things through. _"Marlin, we can make it work…"_

_"It's for the best. You don't get it now but… I care about you Jill. That's why I can't be with you."_, Marlin stopped himself before he could let anything else slip. He was already saying too much. _"I.. I gotta go."_

_"Marlin, no!"_, Jill cried out while trying to grab him, but Marlin scurried off, leaving her alone crying in the woods. The brunette sobbed and it had been nearly an hour before someone found her there all by herself. She looked up, feeling cold fingers running through her hair. _"Skye?..."_

The silver haired man smiled gently._ "Let's get you home."_


	30. Hidden intentions

**CHAPTER 30 - Hidden intentions**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Summer neared its end and Jill found herself lounging in her livingroom during the afternoon with her best friend Muffy. The blonde played happily with a toddler in her lap while they sipped on their teas and chatted about all sorts of things.

_"So…"_, Muffy started, watching Jill from behind her tea cup. She took a gulp and set it down calmly._ "How have been things with Marlin?"_

Jill leaned back against the armchair and sighed._ "I think it's pretty much over. I tried calling him but he won't pick up. When I went to Vesta's place she told me he needed some space. So I stopped chasing after him."_

_"Did he at least call you to wish a happy birthday?"_, the blonde asked in concern.

_"Nope. Didn't even show up at the party."_, Jill shook her head in defeat. It was useless, he wasn't going back once he made up his mind.

_"Yeah, I remember. You looked pretty miserable."_, Muffy pointed out absent mindedly, but she mentally slapped herself as soon as she realized how thoughtless that sounded. "Ah damn, sorry Jill."

_"No, I know I've been pretty down lately…"_, the farmer grinned._ "But I'll get back on my feet. I always do."_

_"That's the spirit!"_, Muffy cheered and adjusted her baby girl in her lap. _"What about the mystery man from the bar? Have you been seeing him lately?"_

Jill seemed to blush a little and played with a strand of her hair. _"Skye? Yeah we've talked a few times since that day. Actually, he's the one who found me and took me home after the breakup with Marlin."_

That certainly picked the blonde's interest. _"What, really? What was he doing there?"_

_"He said he's a night owl or something like that. Go figure."_, she shrugged. _"Anyway I'm glad he found me, I was in no state to drag my sorry ass back home after all things I went through. Skye is a great guy."_

_"Hmm…"_, Muffy quirked a brow at her friend with a suspicious look upon her pretty features. _"He was getting pretty friendly with you at the bar."_

_"Oh, stop it."_, Jill smirked while waving her off._ "He was just being nice."_

_"That didn't see like just being nice to me."_, the blonde retorted, pretty confident in her experience with guys. She had her fair share of boyfriends before getting with Griffin, obviously.

Jill leaned forward in her seat and stared at her best friend. She wanted to get the point across._ "I'm serious, he doesn't like me that way. We're just friends."_

_"Whatever you say, Jillian."_, Muffy rolled her eyes and quietly took another sip of her tea.

….

When Fall came the valley was covered in shades of red and yellow and it got chillier and chillier through time. As expected, life went back to normal. Jill went through her chores as usual, growing crops, tending to the livestock and making improvements around town. She barely ever saw Marlin around except for those few times they bumped into eachother at the bar or when she had to buy more seeds and he wasn't working in the field.

It was never easy, but she learned to be mature about it. At first they simply pretended not to see eachother but eventually she decided to be polite and greet him like he was any other villager. After all, it's not like she could pretend he didn't exist forever. Marlin seemed a little taken back but he was also a decent enough person to greet her back and move on like it was no big deal.

Jill lived a quiet life and the only excitement she got were on the nights Skye decided to show up and invite her for a night out, whether it was at the bar or for a stroll in the woods, he always managed to show her a good time. One night when they were walking together through the streets he noticed the amethyst pendant hanging above her neckline, and asked her about it.

_"It was a gift… I've been wearing this since I got it on my birthday last year so I didn't realize I had it on until you pointed out, actually."_, she blinked in realization, and he slid the pendant between his slim fingers, examining the small rock.

_"Was it a gift from your ex?"_, Skye asked and he saw how she blushed at the thought of the other man. She didn't need to say anything to confirm his suspicions. _"You should replace it with something else."_

_"I don't know…"_, she mumbled awkwardly. _"It's… it's fine."_

_"What if I gave you a new necklace? Would you wear it?"_, he asked, but she just stood there, thinking and looking rather confused. _"A gift that reminds you of a friend sounds better than one that reminds you of a lover from days past, or am I wrong about this?"_

She thought it was funny, the way he spoke sometimes._ "No, you're right."_, Jill smiled shyly and removed the necklace, shoving it deep inside her pocket. For some reason it felt wrong to do so, but she had to be strong. _"You don't have to get me anything though. I appreciate the intention."_

Nevertheless, Skye had showed up at her door three nights later with a brand new necklace, a teal colored stone hanging . She also noticed it looked much more expensive than the one she wore before. _"Uh, Skye.. this looks expensive. You really don't have to…"_

_"Please, take it. You've been so nice to me and I really wanted to thank you properly."_, Skye said and she smiled kindly, although still a little uneasy about the whole situation. He grinned and walked behind her, helping Jill put the new necklace on. He turned her around and looked rather smug. _"Much better."_

_"Thanks, Skye."_, she said, blood rushing to her cheeks and she could only hope her face wasn't too red.

The silver haired man ran a hand through her long chocolate hair and played with a strand before tucking it safely behind her ear. _"I hope you realize I really care about you, Jill. I want to be there for you."_, he almost purred and she suddenly felt awfully aware of how close they were getting. His hand moved down to caress her cheek, then he gently grabbed her chin and before he could make the final move she took a step back and coughed.

_"I'm sorry."_, she breathed out, feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole thing._ "I can't..."_

_"No, I'm sorry, that was improper."_, he chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood. _"I know you're still feeling bad about what happened with your ex. I shouldn't have made a move on you."_

_"No… well, yes. But look, I'm not mad at you or anything, it's not like I've been discouraging you."_, Jill rested her back against a wall and ran a hand through her hair._ "I just really can't do this right now."_

Skye took a step closer and rubbed her arm. He felt her tense up under his touch. _"Don't worry, I get it. But I want you to know that I like you and that I'll be patient. No matter how long it takes for you to get over this whole thing."_

_"You shouldn't have to wait for me… I mean, really, there aren't even any guarantees I'll develop any feelings beside friendship for you."_, she explained sadly. _"I really liked Marlin, like no other man before… I'm not sure I'll ever get over what happened for good."_

_"Whether I decide to wait or not, it's up to me."_, Skye grinned and she knew it was pointless to try to convince him not to get his hopes up.

_"Guys…"_, she rolled her eyes and the two friends laughed it off, the tension of the moment finally broken.

…

Gray, Cliff and Marlin shared a table at the Blue Bar during a chilly evening. Unfortunately for the raven haired man, his ex was at the counter chatting up Muffy and that weird flashy guy again. Something was seriously off with that man, he could tell, but couldn't quite say why.

_"Isn't that your ex-girlfriend sitting over there?"_, Gray said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Apparently he wasn't the only one who noticed.

_"Ah, yeah, that's her."_, Marlin mumbled and took a long sip of his whisky before setting it down again. He felt it burn down his throat but there was no way he could be there and stay sober at the same time.

_"Is she dating that Skye guy now?"_, Cliff asked, he knew he was poking at a wound but everyone had just been dying to know the truth lately.

_"I don't think so… we just broke up."_, Marlin shook his head, refusing to believe she could move on so fast. But what if it was true? What if in the end he was that easy to forget? His heart clenched at the thought._ "Celia told me they are friends."_

_"Friends, eh?"_, Cliff mumbled and scratched his chin, and earned himself a kick in the leg by his blacksmith comrade._ "What!"_

_"Jill and Rock are good friends. It's completely normal. Guys and girls can be friends without any second intentions behind."_, Gray frowned and tried to make up for the suspicions Cliff had potentially raised.

_"Yeah.. yeah."_, Marlin nodded, telling himself it was probably the same situation. Jill was such a nice, friendly girl, no wonder everyone wanted to be on her good side.

_"Didn't Rock try to hit on her when they first met?"_, Cliff added and once again he was kicked by a very pissed looking Gray._ "Outch! Sorry, forget I said that."_

Marlin sighed and rolled his eyes at his friends, taking another gulp at his drink. He watched as Jill and Skye got up from their seats and made their way towards the exit. She stopped by their table and smiled, although he could tell his presence still made her kind of sad. He also saw the pretty teal rock hanging from her neck. She had replaced his necklace and that sent a rush of blood to his head, while he tried to tell himself she wasn't his anymore. That hurt pretty bad.

_"Hey guys. Didn't see you back here."_, she greeted politely. Gray tipped his cap at her and Cliff nodded. _"I'm gonna go, have a good night!"_

_"Night."_, Marlin said with a calm expression. When they were out the door there seemed to be some weird sort of tension in the air. Gray had been staring at Skye the whole time, and when they were gone he looked lost in thought.

_"You okay, man?"_, Cliff wondered if the blacksmith already had too much to drink.

_"That guy… I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."_, Gray said and leaned back against his chair, trying to remember why exactly did Skye look so familiar. And his name too… something wasn't right.

Marlin furrowed his brows. Skye lived mostly in the city and in the valley, or so he claimed. How could someone from Mineral Town know him?_ "How come?"_

_"I'm not sure.. but really, he looks so familiar. It's weird."_, Gray shrugged. _"Ah, whatever, it's probably not important."_

The three guys went back to drinking and discussing what was going on in their lives, but Marlin couldn't help but wonder about the silver haired man. Maybe it was just his jealousy clouding his mind but perhaps… perhaps there was really something off about him. And no matter what, Marlin was going to find out.


	31. Paying the price

**CHAPTER 31 - Paying the price**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

Winter rolled in and Jill was surprised by how fast the year was passing. Maybe it was because she was no longer with Marlin, or hoping to be with Marlin, and she had nothing else to look up to. Just like that the days flew by right before her eyes and she didn't really feel like doing anything to change that situation. She was contempt with her boring little life, just tending to her farm and talking to her friends, all day every day, with no expectations. Maybe it was for the best if she just stayed sheltered like that and never fell in love again, or at least Jill really wanted to believe so.

Skye, of course, never stopped trying to impress her. He would bring her cool things from the city and tell her stories about his life, and all those seemed pretty exciting, but she really couldn't look at him as anything else but a good friend. That didn't keep him from continuously invading her personal space, like touching her arm when they talked and kissing her cheek when they met, but she let him because it wasn't really such a bother after all.

On another farm not too far away from there Marlin carried on with his life as usual, but he now used up most of his free time to work on a certain research. He spent hours at his notebook looking up information online, and made a few trips to the city, but whatever it is he was looking for was turning out to be harder to find than he thought it would be.

One night he got an e-mail from his good friend Gray from Mineral Town. The subject line read "I thought you'd like to know" and the body said "I knew I saw that guy before. Take a look at what I found at the news board today.". Attached to that e-mail was a scanned WANTED poster with a drawing that looked a lot like Skye. He was wanted for robbery in several small towns.

He thought it made sense he couldn't find the dirt on this guy before. He had been looking in the city when he should have been looking in smaller places, after all you don't shit where you eat. Skye was a city guy and it would be extremely risky for him to get caught trying to steal over there. Marlin shook his head and slammed his fist against the desk._ "God fucking damn it, that bastard!"_

Vesta, having heard the noise coming from his room, came in a hurry. _"What is going on?"_ She was surprised when he didn't say anything, just moved around the room, putting on a coat and grabbing something on the printer. "Marlin, you're worrying me."

He halted before her with determination blazing in his clear eyes. _"I have to go somewhere. I'll be back later."_

_"It's snowing out there!"_, she tried to protest but he bolted out of the door. Vesta sighed and leaned against the wall, feeling something bad was about to happen.

…

_"Thanks for the great night out."_, Jill smiled while standing in her front door, shoving her hands inside the pockets of her thick navy coat. It was so cold, she could see her breath when she opened her mouth to speak.

Skye flashed her that dazzling smirk and caressed her cheek, causing Jill to blush many shades of red, but she didn't flinch or move away. It was like she was growing slowly used to having him around like this. _"Anything for you."_

The brunette giggled and grabbed her keys, turning around to open the door._ "Goodnight, have a safe trip back to the city."_ The silver haired man just nodded and turned back, making his way out the farm. He walked all the way to the beach and enjoyed the snowy scenery. Winter was always such a beautiful time of the year.

The ferry back to the city had already been there for a couple of minutes, so he settled his luggage inside and just lounged in the docks before it was time to leave. He watched the water below and thought about how it must be freezing. After a while he heard steps behind him and thought it was just the captain but when he turned around it was just a certain farmer who worked on the other side of the island. And Marlin didn't look happy at all.

_"There you are."_, the older man said with danger in his voice. He had a paper in his hand, which he held up, and Skye gasped at the sight of his picture in the WANTED poster. _"Everyone's been looking for you."_

_"Fuck off, man."_, Skye got up and took a step back, scowling._ "I don't want any trouble."_

_"What's in the bag, huh?"_, Marlin questioned, quirking a brow. He took a step closer. Then another._ "Have you also been stealing from the villagers here too?"_

_"No! I wouldn't…"_, Skye protested, stepping inside the ferry. Marlin followed him and they just stared at eachother, then at his luggage, then back.

Marlin crossed his arms and smirked, like a cat who had just trapped his prey. No matter what, he was going to reveal Skye for the farce he really was. Jill needed to know the truth._ "You see, people have been complaining about some things disappearing around town… now, we refused to believe it had been a thief because we never had this sort of thing around here before, but if you ask me…"_, he unfolded his arms and walked closer to his enemy._ "… it was you all along."_

The two man kept up with their staring contest until Marlin looked aside and lunged for the bag. Skye yelped and tossed himself at him, but Marlin was stronger and managed to have it open. He examined the contents while Skye tried helplessly to shove him off._ "Ahh! I remember this."_, he grinned while holding a fancy chandelier from Lumina's house. He had been there before for some fancy dinner parties he got invited to, and as usual Vesta and Celia had forced him to go. Now he was kinda thankful they did. Inside he found many other things he recognized that had been stolen from the other houses. _"You're screwed now, pal."_

Skye panicked and just couldn't think straight anymore. His fist connected with Marlin's jaw, sending the man to the ground with a thump, and they began throwing punches at eachother. Marlin eventually managed to get up but he was tackled by Skye, which ended up in both falling out of the ferry boat and into the freezing water below. They still struggled with eachother underwater and when the captain finally arrived from his stroll around town he screamed in panic, telling his sailor coworker to help him get them off the water.

Skye and Marlin were successfully roped back and the captain made them sit down inside where it was warmer. They were covered in blankets and there was blood running down their mouths and noses, but they wouldn't stop looking at eachother in rage, as if ready to start a fight all over again. Thankfully the captain was there now to prevent it.

Realizing how the raven haired man was shaking and how pale he looked, the captain took a step closer to examine him. Marlin's eyes were wide open and staring right back at him._ "You don't look in such good shape, fella."_, he commented, scratching his beard.

_"T… t..t-thief…"_, Marlin stuttered, but his eyes kept shifting to Skye, trying to make his point across. The captain shot his brows up at him and then looked at the other soaked man, then back to Marlin, who looked pale as death itself._ "Thief!"_

_"You're saying he's a…"_, the captain started, but he was interrupted by the sailor rushing in with something in his hands.

_"Captain, captain! Look what I found outside!"_, the younger man showed him the portrait of Skye and all eyes turned to him, who just sat there shaking, with anger in his teal colored eyes. Skye got up suddenly and tried to rush to the exit but he got tackled by the two man blocking his way. In the end he got roped to his chair, and was told he would be taken to the authorities to face judgment for his actions.

_"You can relax now, buddy!"_, the captain laughed but when he turned around to check up on Marlin he realized he had been out for a while now. His skin was white as snow and the color had left his lips, aside from the blood running madly down his chin. The captain shook him but got no response, so he turned around and threw his comrade a desperate look._ "Call the doctor. NOW."_

…

Jill got up the next morning and went through her daily routine. By the time she sat to sip on her coffee she got a loud knock on her front door and she yawned, wondering who the hell could be bothering her this early in the day. The farmer opened the door and found Celia standing there with tears rolling down her cheeks and her eyes red from crying.

_"Oh my god Celia, what happened?"_, Jill quickly stepped closer and embraced her friend, who sobbed against her shoulder._ "Is it Cliff?"_

_"No!"_, Celia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and grabbed Jill's forearms almost too forcefully. _"Jill, it's Marlin! He… he's dying!"_

_"He.. what?!"_, Jill blinked and took a step back. Celia frowned and tried to pull her outside._ "What's going on?"_

_"There was a fight… something happened at the beach, he fell in the water. Oh, Jill."_, the other brunette tried to explain while shaking her head. _"His condition has gotten much worse. Trent says he might not make it…"_

Jill found herself falling to her knees and she just stayed there, the tears already starting to fall from her eyes. Her heart clenched and she felt so overwhelmed, not quite knowing what to do in this situation. Marlin could die? What was that about? So just like this she would never get to see him again?

Celia crouched next to her friend and gently tried to help her up. _"They took him to the city, to get checked at a proper hospital. Vesta is already there, and I'm taking the next ferry boat… are you coming?"_

_"Yes."_, Jill nodded, trying to wipe the tears from her face. _"Take me to him."_

…

After spending nearly a week in the city, Jill was forced to return to the valley and take care of her farm. She couldn't ask Takakura to cover for her forever, even though he had told her it was no problem, she knew he was an aging man and it would be unfair. It was hard doing any work under this condition, though. She got calls every night from Vesta to fill her in the details of Marlin's health. He had gone into a coma and wasn't getting any better apparently. Every time she thought about it it brought her to tears.

It didn't help that the whole Skye scandal had gotten out aswell. It seemed Marlin had exposed him for who he really was, a thief who was just playing everyone, and she felt awful for having trusted such a disgusting character. She visited him in the jail during her stay in the city and gave his necklace back. He had tried to explain herself but Jill said nothing in return, she just stood there in silence, half pitying him for being locked up like this. But he got what was coming to him.

One night she decided to pay her respects to the Goddess Pond, the place Marlin always went when he needed some time alone. She brought some big strawberries from her own farm along, hoping maybe for once the divinities would grant her wishes, although she still didn't quite believe any of it. Well, it didn't hurt to try.

Jill sat at the edge of the pond and tossed one strawberry at a time, always wishing the same thing, with all her heart. She wanted Marlin to get better. She wanted him to survive. She wanted him back safely in her arms. When her offerings were all gone she just hugged her knees, her cries filling the silence of the woods.

_"Don't let it happen… please…"_, she said between sobs to no one in particular._ "I love him! Don't take him away from me..."_

She felt a strange warmth around her even though it was still Winter and a flash of light surrounded her figure. Jill lifted her face from her arms and found she was no longer in the woods, or the valley itself, she was in a place that was pure light and calming feelings. With a flash something began to take shape in front of her, a beautiful young woman with long, braided green hair, green eyes and flawless skin. Her robes were silky and rich, and she displayed the cocky smile of a know-it-all. _"Hello, hello."_, the wraith spoke in her smooth tone. She floated in the air, hovering above.

Jill rubbed her eyes incredulously and stared at whoever the heck that was. Her mouth dropped._ "Did I accidentally eat a bad shroom? I think I'm seeing things."_

_"Don't be silly."_, the green eyed goddess giggled in delight._ "I'm the Harvest Goddess, mortal. I came to answer your plea."_

_"R… really?"_, Jill asked, still unable to believe what was going on before her eyes. She made herself stand up. _"You're going to save Marlin?"_

_"I just might."_, came the reply, as she floated absent mindedly, playing with one of her alluring, long braids. Jill just watched her in silence, and the goddess came closer, face to face with her. _"Everything comes with a price, though."_

_"I gave you strawberries. You love those, right?"_, the girl farmer asked with hope, causing the divinity to threw her head back in laughter.

_"Oh, I do! I really appreciate your offering, but in this case it's not gonna cut it."_, the Harvest Goddess explained, smirking mischievously down at her mortal guest. _"No, intervening with life and death comes with a much bigger price."_

Jill frowned and crossed her arms, wondering what this woman could possibly want from her. It's not like she had much to offer, but she would do anything to save Marlin's life._ "And what is it? I'll do anything!"_

The Harvest Goddess came down as her dainty feet gently touched the invisible ground. She walked closer and user her elegant, slender fingers to play with a stray strand of Jill's brunette hair. Her green eyes glinted wickedly and she licked her lips, causing her guest to nearly shiver in dismay. _"You have to pay…"_, she whispered in Jill's ear, her breath chilly a morning breeze._ "… with your own life."_


	32. The Tree of Life

**CHAPTER 32 - The Tree of Life**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

_"My... my life?"_

Jill felt weak on the knees and fell back on the floor. Her face was empty, she didn't know what to do with all these thoughts racing through her brain. The Goddess smiled and settled in front of her, patiently waiting for her response.

_"I'll do it."_, Jill said firmly and looked at the divine woman dead in the eye, after reflecting on this for a minute. She saw the Harvest Goddess's green eyes go wide in shock.

_"You… you sure about this?"_, the green haired beauty asked with a frown, her mischief all gone for some strange reason. _"You'd give up your life just for some man?"_

_"Not SOME man."_, Jill cut in, furrowing her brows, which seemed to startle the woman before her._ "THE man. The guy I love with all my heart. I… I won't let him die like this even if it means…"_

_"You are very brave."_, the Goddess noted and floated up, before turning her back to the farmer. She crossed her arms and sighed. Jill looked up and stood proudly, as if waiting for something to happen anytime soon.

_"Well?"_, she finally asked, cracking the long silence that had settled. The Goddess's hesitance was beginning to get on her nerves. She saw her mumble something and shake, then suddenly the divinity was cracking up in laughter, unable to contain herself. She turned around again, her arms across her stomach.

_"So… sorry!"_, the Harvest Goddess managed to say between that maniac laughter of hers. It was so bizarre, and Jill was watching her with an incredulous look, wondering what the hell was going on. When she finally recollected herself, the Goddess smiled sweetly. _"I was just joking around. You mortals are so easy to fool!"_

Jill gasped and took a step back. _"…what?"_

_"I'm not going to take your life, silly."_, she giggled in a very girly manner, thoroughly enjoying herself with this whole situation._ "I just really wanted to know how badly you wanted to save this kid."_

_"Look here lady, I don't have all day!"_, Jill protested, getting pissed at how easily this crazy woman tricked her. Weren't Gods supposed to be benevolent, anyway? What was up with this chick? _"Are you gonna help me or not?"_

_"I can't just instantly restore his health but I can give you this."_, the Goddess said as she did some gestures with her hands, and there was a small flash of light forming between them, where a seed appeared. It was still glowing after the light was gone. She floated closer to the farmer and calmly handed it over. _"Cultivate it and feed him its fruit."_

Jill looked sadly at the glowing seed in her hands, it felt strangely warm. She then looked up at the Goddess, who still smiled gently down at her._ "There is no time for this. A tree takes too long to grow."_

_"Trust me on this."_, the Goddess grinned and her eyes shifted from side to side. _"Oops! I gotta go, my time is up."_

_"Hey, wait!"_, Jill protested but she was blinded by that same huge flash of light, and she covered her eyes in panic. She heard the dying laughter of the Goddess before she found herself back at the pond, where she had been sitting. _"What the…"_

Noticing the seed safely hidden in her palms, Jill sighed. Well, at least it hadn't been a dream. All she could do now was drag herself back to the farm, where she found a special place by the sun and planted the seed, still not sure how it would help at all. She watered the spot and closed her eyes, gently patting the soil, trying to send all her hopes to that seed somehow.

The next morning Jill woke up, ate breakfast, brushed her teeth and got ready to work. She was feeling miserable, having received a call from Celia the previous night saying there was still no signs of Marlin getting any better. She walked out her front door with hoe in hand, which she dropped when she stopped by the spot she had planted the seed the day before, her mouth hanging open in shock. There stood a tree, proud and tall, one single ripe, golden fruit hanging between the vast foliage. Jill hurried back home and brought along a wooden ladder, which she used to reach the fruit. She took it in hands and felt the warmth that radiated from within. A breeze passed by and she could have sworn she heard the Harvest Goddess's laughter in the wind.

After rushing inside and packing up some things, Jill went and took the next ferry boat to the city. She arrived at the hospital at night and managed to find out Marlin's room, so she ran there as fast as she could. Vesta and Celia sat inside, knitting in silence, while he laid almost lifeless in his bed. The two women gasped when they saw the farmer standing at the door, breathless, and they rushed to hug her._ "Jill! What are you doing here?",_ Vesta said in the middle of a bear hug.

_"I… I can save him!"_, Jill blurted out while still trying to catch her breath. They looked at her in confusion, and she grabbed the golden fruit from her bag. _"This. We need to feed him this."_

_"Dear, have a seat, you're not thinking straight."_, Vesta said gently, rubbing the brunette's forearm. Jill gently brushed it off.

_"No, really… the Harvest Goddess. Guys, I saw her. I talked to her!"_, Jill explained while trying not to stutter. Vesta cocked her head to the side and Celia frowned, not quite sure what to make of this. She decided to carry on. _"I went to the pond… figured making a wish wouldn't hurt, right? Before I knew it there was this huge flash of light…"_

_"Jill, you know how crazy this sounds, right?"_, Celia said and Jill gestured for them to take their seats, so they did.

_"I know, I didn't believe it either, but it happened, you guys!"_, Jill insisted._ "And she is a mean one, I'll tell you. Almost tricked me into thinking I would have to die in order to save him."_

_"Wait… what?"_, Vesta leaned forward in her seat, unable to believe her ears.

_"She told me the price to pay for his life was my own."_, the brunette said firmly, looking rather serious._ "I… I was willing to go ahead with the deal but when I told her she just laughed at me and said it was all just a joke. Go figure."_

Vesta almost completely dismissed the joke part and felt tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She fought them back. _"You would give up your life for him?"_

_"I would."_, Jill blushed as she admitted how deep the extent of her love for Marlin truly was. But that wasn't really the point of this conversation, she had to hurry up. _"After she was done laughing at my expense she gave me a seed and told me to plant it, saying it would bear a fruit that could save Marlin's life."_

_"The fruit in your hands…?"_, Celia asked hesitantly, glancing at the golden object. Vesta's own eyes soon followed.

_"Yes. The tree grew up overnight, can you believe it?"_, Jill beamed in amusement.

Vesta offered her a small smile._ "Not really. But Jill, if you haven't gone mad in grief there is nothing we can do but trust you. What should be do now?"_

_"Well… the Goddess told me I should feed him this fruit."_, the farmer said while scratching her chin, as if lost in thought. _"He can't eat anything solid in this state though."_

_"We could put it in a mixer and make some juice?"_, Celia suggested, earning a happy nod from the other present women.

_"Let's do this!"_, Jill cheered and they exited the room in a haste.

…

It was dark, the room was cold. His head was dizzy, but he sort of managed to sit down, supporting his own weight on his elbows. How many times had he been in this state before? Marlin was getting seriously sick of hospital beds.

_"Shit…"_, he mumbled, slowly opening his eyes and allowing his sight to adapt to the darkness. He slowly made out the furniture and the sleeping figures of his sister, Celia and… Jill?

Hearing something shifting in the room, the girl farmer popped one eye open, yawning lazily. When she saw Marlin there, sitting in his bed and rubbing his eyes, she gave a tiny cry of surprise, and soon enough the two other women were up on their feet aswell. Vesta turned the lights on and rushed to his side. _"Marlin? Marlin, you're alive!"_

_"Oooutch. My eyes."_, he buried his face into his hands before slowly allowing himself to grow accustomed to the newfound brightness of the room. When Celia and Jill walked to his bed, Vesta tried to keep them from coming too close, giving him some space to breathe. He was thankful she did it._ "Where am I?"_

_"The hospital. You collapsed after your little brawl with that thief and they had to bring you here."_, his older sister explained calmly, watching how the color had returned to his skin. She was trying hard to fight the tears but they came anyway. The other girls sobbed behind her and it made Marlin really uncomfortable. _"It was… it was pretty bad, Marlin. You almost…"_

Marlin held his sister's hand and gave him the most confident smile he could, although he wasn't really good at it. She chuckled._ "I'm fine now. Actually… I feel even better than before. Weird."_

_"It was Jill. She saved your life, silly."_, Celia sniffled and he blinked, unsure of what she meant. He finally let his eyes drift, catching his ex-girlfriend's beautiful amethyst ones. They were red and weary, but she had a huge smile on her face, showing how happy she was he had recovered.

_"How…"_, he tried to formulate the question but it was all too foggy still. Vesta pushed his chest down carefully, forcing him to lay down again. She told him to rest and in the morning they would talk again. He found it easy to fall asleep again, and snored comfortably against his pillow, as the women moved to the back of the room and talked in whispers.

_"Listen, I'm gonna go."_, Jill said with some hesitance, it really pained her to leave when things were finally looking up. _"I can't keep asking Takakura to cover for me. Let me know when you guys return to the valley, ok?"_

Vesta and Celia nodded and hugged their friend tightly before she left, thanking her for her bravery and everything she did for their family. Jill blushed and said it was nothing, then took her bag in hands and exited, wondering if she would make it in time for the next ferry boat.


	33. Kiss and make up

**CHAPTER 33 - Kiss and make up**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights over Harvest Moon or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.**

I did make up some of the characters though (like Grayson).

Please forgive any spelling mistakes. My native language is not english, as you can see.

**...**

The early days of Spring were still quite chilly. Jill watched the outdoors from her window, where she sipped calmly on her tea, observing the spot where that magical tree had been. She found out after coming back from the city that it had withered. Of course, it had fulfilled its purpose by bearing a fruit that healed Marlin's illness, but still it made her sad to see it gone.

Speaking of Marlin, Jill was happy to hear he was finally back in town. The doctors simply couldn't believe he had healed up so fast and made sure to keep him there for an unnecessary about of days to run exams and all sorts of things. She still couldn't decide whether to visit him or not; if he wanted to see her surely he would have bothered to come over, right? But he didn't.

Sighing, the girl farmer kept telling herself not to be childish. Marlin had just escaped death itself! He had just returned to the valley and he must have had more important matters to settle. While she reminisced, there was a knock at the door, then another, until she finally snapped out of those thoughts.

_"Just one second!"_, she yelled and unwrapped herself from her blankets, setting the tea cup on the coffee table. Whoever stood outside her door wouldn't stop knocking. Jill gritted her teeth and flung it open in a haste. _"I said wait a…"_

Marlin just wouldn't let her finish. As soon as she set eyes on Jill he threw himself at her, hugging her tight around the waist. He kissed her hungrily and the brunette yelped; she didn't expect this at all._ "M… Marlin!_"

The blue eyed man just grinned and kept her in his arms, securely. He pressed his lips on the crook of her neck and inhaled her unique scent. Ah, he had missed this. _"You risked your life for me."_

_"That was hardly risking anything."_, Jill chuckled, while feeling her cheeks go warm as a reaction to his closeness. She gently pressed her hands against his chest, and he took a step back apologetically. _"She was just screwing with me. All I had to do was plant a seed."_

_"Still."_, he said, looking her straight in the eyes. _"You would have. Jill, that was… I don't even know what to say."_

_"Then don't say anything."_, she smiled sweetly and suddenly he couldn't feel worse about everything. The way he had been treating her, how he kept her in the dark for so long. Now he knew the extent of her feelings he felt so foolish to think they were never meant to be. Her voice came again and he was forced out of his mind_ "I feel like there's lots we need to talk about though."_

Marlin nodded and she lead him silently into her livingroom. She served him some tea and grabbed herself another mug before taking a seat across from his. The raven haired man coughed, running a hand through his curly locks. _"The doctors took forever running tests on me this time. They say it's unbelievable, but I might actually be cured, and that never happened before to patients in similar condition._"

_"You mean…"_, Jill leaned forward in anticipation.

_"They're not 100% sure but it looks like my illness is gone."_, he said with relief, his lips curving up in a smile. She really loved it when he made that face._ "I still need to do checkups every now and then but… I think this is it Jill, I can finally have a normal life again. And it's all thanks to you."_

_"You have no idea how it makes me happy to hear that."_, she replied with a content sigh.

Marlin simply nodded, there were other subjects he needed to bring up. _"Listen, about what happened between us… I haven't been completely honest with you."_

_"You don't have to tell me that."_, she chuckled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She sipped on her coffee nervously and purposely avoided his gaze.

_"I have been so stupid."_, Marlin said, hanging his head. When he looked back up he realized how sad this subject made her. _"I thought you deserved better. I thought it would be for the best if you didn't have to be put through so much suffering, and it would destroy you to watch me slowly fade away. I always believed my illness would eventually get the best of me, as it happened to my father, but if only I had a shed of faith like you do I would have been able to be stronger for us. I treated you like a child, as if you weren't able to make your own decisions, and made them for you. I'm really, really sorry Jill."_

Jill blinked, surprised by the sincerity in his words. She couldn't remember seeing Marlin being so open to her before, and to be honest it felt good to see him be vulnerable for once. She smiled and got up, took a seat next to him on the couch and rubbed his shoulder gently._ "I understand."_

_"Of course you do."_, he added, peering at her from the corner of his eyes. _"You're wonderful."_

_"I really am, right?"_, the girl farmer smirked and they laughed together, something they haven't done for so long. She had missed this.

_"The worst thing is that I ended up throwing you in the arms of that thief."_, Marlin mumbled as he lifted his head, staring daggers at the wall. He scowled at the thought. _"I'm sorry you had to go through that."_

_"Throwing me in his arms?"_, she asked, cocking a brow. _"Marlin, what do you think happened between me and Skye?"_

Marlin's mouth formed a tight line and he looked at her in confusion._ "Well, I don't know! You guys were seen together everywhere since we broke up, so I just assumed…"_

_"Oh my god!"_, Jill laughed, not sure if she wanted to kiss him or slap him in the face. _"Do you even know me?"_

_"I'm sorry!"_, he exclaimed, his shoulders tensing up. _"Cliff kept making all those implications and I slowly started to believe maybe you guys were, you know… erm."_

Jill rolled her amethyst eyes at him and shook her head slowly. _"You're a dumbass."_

_"A dumbass who loves you."_, he muttered under his breath, in an almost inaudible way.

_"What?"_, Jill asked, perking up at his words. Damn her sharp hearing. Marlin just stared at his fingertips and blushed, as if pretending he was not there. The brunette giggled and tackled him, causing the man to fall back on the couch with a groan. _"I love you too, by the way."_

_"Great. Now we're getting all cheesy."_, he grinned in response, scratching the back of his head and she laughed before planting a chaste, quick kiss on his lips. _"Hmm. Now that's out of the way, can we go back to the way things were before? I wanna test this newfound energy of mine…"_

_"Oh, I don't know."_, Jill bit her lower lip and wiggled her brows playfully at him. _"That might take some convincing. I'm still pretty mad at you for shutting me out before."_

_"Ah."_, he nodded, placing a peck on lips, then her chin and her neck. She purred in delight at his caresses._ "Allow me to apologize properly then."_


	34. Grateful

**CHAPTER 34 - Grateful**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

...

It was early morning, and the happy humming of a certain farmer echoed through the house. Jill quietly appreciated the feeling of cold water running down her hands as she washed the small pile of dishes in her sink. The sound of a running shower came faint from the suite, but she barely noticed once it was turned off by its occupant, because she was so easily entertained by the task at hand. It was getting warmer and warmer as summer approached, and knowing she'd be spending most of her day working under the sun, Jill wanted to cherish this one refreshing moment.

_"Mmm."_, came a content murmur from behind her and Jill yelped in surprise, feeling a face pressing against the crook of her neck. She was suddenly spinned around, her amethyst eyes shooting up to meet deep blue ones, as her mouth was claimed by a pair of gentle, yet dominant lips. She felt herself melt against that presence.

_"Breakfast will be ready soon."_, she giggled but Marlin's half naked frame pressing itself against her instantly shut her up. She looked down at the towel wrapped around her boyfriend's waist, then lifted her eyes up slowly past his toned upper body. Jill peered up and couldn't help but blush. Marlin had the most mischievous smirk plastered upon that handsome face. In fact, he looked like he was going to devour her.

_"I'd rather have you for breakfast instead."_, the words rolled off in that thick accent of his and he expertly lifted her up by the waist, forcing Jill to sit on the edge of the kitchen counter. He buried his face against her collarbone and his hands flew straight to the base of her breasts, and the young man nearly purred at the feel of the satin fabric of her short robe.

Jill couldn't help but smile as his stubble rubbed against her skin. She liked when he didn't bother shaving so often. Marlin mumbled something against her cleavage then looked up with a grin, his rough hands sliding the robe off her shoulders softly. He blinked when he felt her hands stopping him.

_"Marlin, we just did it twenty minutes ago."_, she said with a smirk to match his own. She ran a hand softly through his dark curls, knowing well how he liked that.

_"So?"_, he chuckled, his eyes daring.

Jill almost felt all resolve leave her when his hands traveled south, diving underneath the hem of her robe and resting on her inner thighs, dangerously close to a certain sweet spot. Once more, she placed her hands atop his. _"Give it a break, will ya? I love you and all, but I'm exhausted. And it's Monday!"_

Marlin pouted, an expression she didn't often see him make. He then seemed to think it over and smiled softly, stepping away so she had room to recompose herself. _"Sorry. Still getting used to all this… energy."_

The brunette grinned and retied her robe, proceeding to hop off the counter. She smacked him in the bum as she strolled past him, a confident look upon her features. _"We have a lifetime ahead of us for that. Now let's get some work done."_

Marlin stood in the kitchen, rubbing his bottom with an expression of mock indignation. He felt his lips curl up in a small smile at her words, even though she probably didn't mean much by them. A lifetime of being this close to eachother didn't sound bad. Not bad at all…

…

Later that day, Jill got a call from Marlin, who sounded kind of upset. He explained he'd be crashing at his sister's place that night, since she wouldn't stop complaining about how he never seemed to be around nowadays, except for working hours at the farm. She giggled and told him it was alright, and he should be spending some time with his family, especially after that big scare when he fell ill.

Noticing her afternoon plans were now vacant, she decided to pay her best friend a visit. The Blue Bar wasn't open yet but they gladly let her in, and she helped the couple tidy the place up before opening hours. Griffin kindly said he'd keep an eye on their daughter and Muffy rewarded him with a peck on the lips before leading her visitor through the door that lead to their actual home. She made some tea and sat across the table, facing Jill.

_"You look tired. Everything alright?"_, the blonde asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Jill smiled and nodded, sipping quietly on her tea cup.

_"I've been busy, that's all."_, she answered with a dreamy look upon her face.

Muffy blinked and her eyes narrowed at a small, dark spot on Jill's neck, very close to her ear. She smirked against the porcelain. _"If you're going to let your boyfriend give you lovebites, at least wear your hair down."_

_"What!"_, Jill exclaimed, instantly placing her palm against the sensitive patch in her skin. She felt her face heat up and her cheeks go red. _"God damn it, Marlin! I swear, I'll kick his ass next time I see that man!"_

Muffy laughed at the awkwardness of the moment. _"I take it he's been keeping you busy since he got better?"_

_"You have no idea."_, Jill sighed, feeling a little silly. Most women wouldn't complain about having a sexy man wanting you 24/7, but this newfound desire of his was making her both physically and mentally exhausted. The hot weather wasn't helping either. _"I guess he's just adjusting to being healthy or whatever."_

_"I don't think that's it. Well, not entirely."_, Muffy thought out loud, catching the brunette's full attention. She explained her theory. _"I don't know. When I see you guys together… the way he looks at you…"_, she tried to place the thoughts together, scratching her chin absent mindedly. _"It's like he adores you. Worships you."_

Jill quirked a brow up at her friend's choice of words. _"Uh, well… I get it that he loves me, but aren't you exaggerating a little?"_

Muffy shook her head and gave a happy, lazy sigh. She rested her chin atop her hands. _"You saved him. You give his life purpose. It makes sense."_

_"When you put it like that…"_, Jill nodded, not knowing what to do with this kind of information. _"I've never been loved like that before."_

Muffy reached for her best friend's hand across the table and held it securely, a reassuring smile growing upon her pretty features. She knew exactly what Jill was going through, because Griffin also started looking at her like that after she gave birth to their daughter. He acted like she created the most amazing thing on earth, and was so thankful for it. _"Be grateful for him, too."_

Jill's eyes locked with hers and they shared a nice moment. After a while, there was an odd sound coming from underneath the table, and the brunette patted her belly. _"Guess I must be hungry."_

_"Oh, there's apple pie in the fridge! I'll serve you a slice."_, Muffy said as she quickly got up and walked into the kitchen. Soon she was back with a plate and placed the slice in front of her guest.

For a moment, Jill felt glad because she knew Muffy was absolutely amazing at baking those pies, but when the sweet smell hit her nostrils she felt her stomach twist and she automatically put her hand in front of her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she rushed past the blonde, who just stood there, confused. Muffy ran to the restroom door and knocked, but the only reply she got was the sound of the farmer spilling her guts into the toilet. _"That doesn't sound good."_

_"I'm –uh- alright."_, Jill said awkwardly after a while. Muffy heard the running water sounds of the sink being turned on, and assumed her friend was trying to put herself together again. Shortly after the door was opened and Jill cast her a shy, apologetic grin. _"Sorry."_

_"Don't be."_, Muffy chuckled as they walked back inside the livingroom. She hurriedly removed the plate from the table and returned to check if everything was alright. "_That was odd. You looked fine just a moment ago."_

_"Yeah. No idea where that came from."_ Jill mumbled while rubbing her temples. _"Maybe I got the flu or something. If that's the case, I should go. Don't wanna risk passing it on to your baby."_

Muffy didn't say anything, she just stood in a corner, watching silently as Jill picked her things up and got ready to head back home. She thought about things, memories from the days before she found out she would become a mother. She hooked a strand of blonde hair between her fingers and twisted, barely aware her best friend was now waving in front of her.

_"I'm heading home."_, Jill said and turned around, but was kept in place by Muffy's grip on her arm. They exchanged glances.

_"Do you think… maybe…"_, Muffy began, but she couldn't keep going. Her eyes drifted down to Jill's covered abdomen, and the farmer finally took the hint. She gently shook off her hand.

_"What? No. No!"_, Jill laughed, although she seemed rather uncomfortable. _"Don't be ridiculous. It can't be."_ She searched her memories for reassurance, but they betrayed her. In the frenzy of Marlin's newfound good health, perhaps they could have been careless a time or two? Oh Gods, no. She didn't want to think about it. _"I should really go. Let's talk later, okay? Bye bye."_

Muffy felt Jill's hand brush her shoulder and she caught the hint of nervousness in her voice, but all she could do was let her go. Jill had been through enough that year and deserved some peace and quiet. Still, Muffy couldn't help but worry, pictures of Jill holding a dark haired, bright eyed child forming themselves in her mind. Could she handle it?

_"Of course."_, Muffy laughed at herself. She knew, Jill could do anything. She was really amazing. _"Marlin becoming a parent, now THAT would be something amusing to watch."_

_..._

**A/N: New chapter out! Kinda sudden, I know. Just felt like updating this story. I really want to finish it.**


	35. Small Scare

**CHAPTER 35 - Small Scare**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.**

A/N: Hey guys! Didn't think you would be hearing back from me, right? It's been hard to find time to write or even read fanfiction, but I started playing More Friends of Mineral Town this week and it made think of a plot for a possible Gray x Claire story. This being said, I refuse to start another story without finishing this one! Here's a new chapter, and thanks for the reviews despite my lack of commitment ):

...

_"Food poisoning."_

Jill let her weight fall against the chair in Dr Hardy's clinic. Dr Trent's nurse and wife, Elli, arched her thin brows at the farmer sitting across from her. _"Thank god."_

_"What did you think it was?"_, the nurse asked with curiosity.

_"Uh. I thought I was… y'know.",_ Jill replied making a curve gesture over her stomach. _"I don't even know why I just assumed that. Food poisoning! It's so obvious!"_

Elli smiled sweetly and leaned over the table, peering around to make sure the doctors were not around to listen. _"Well… maybe deep down you wanted to become a mother?"_

Jill eyed her friend like she had gone insane. _"What? I'm too young for that! Not to mention I have a whole farm to watch over, how the heck would I find time to raise an infant?"_

_"I'm not saying you want to get pregnant right now."_, the nurse giggled. _"But look at how happy Muffy is with her baby. To be honest, before she actually gave birth I couldn't possible picture her as a mom! And she's doing a great job, really."_

Jill sighed and ran a hand along her long, soft ponytail. Elli had a point – Muffy was just slightly older than her, and she sure made it seem like having a baby completed her. Which was funny, because before all that she was always perceived as a party girl who would never settle for anything.

_"I'm just glad I didn't do something I'd end up regretting.",_ she said while looking up and spinning slowly in her chair. Elli strolled over to her side and placed something in front of her – a package of condoms, to be exact.

_"I got plenty of those at home."_, the farmer blinked up at her friend's pretty little face.

Elli pushed the package into Jill's hands. _"Just make sure you don't go through another scare."_

...

Later that day, Marlin was working on an attempt at making dinner, while Jill rested on the couch watching TV. He walked over and handed her a bowl, which she accepted without paying much attention. Her favorite show was on.

_"Sorry, Vesta and Celia usually do all the cooking back home."_, he said with a grin while sitting down beside her. Jill finally looked down to the bowl of curry rice. It didn't look pretty, but it smelled alright.

_"Why'd you insist on cooking me dinner then?"_, she asked.

_"I wanted to do something nice for my lady."_, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. _"Eh, at least I tried."_

Jill giggled and ate some of the rice. Despite its appearance the taste was rather pleasant, so she bumped against him and nuzzled his neck. _"It's amazing. Thank you."_

Marlin smirked despite knowing she was making it sound better than it actually was. It was just nice to know she appreciated the effort. _"By the way, you looked kinda worried this morning. You okay?"_

_"Oh."_, Jill paused, placing the bowl over her legs. She recalled seeing Marlin around town before heading to the clinic. Biting her lower lip, the brunette looked at the TV screen, purposely avoiding his eyes. _"It's nothing. I don't wanna worry you."_

_"Hey."_, the raven haired man gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and she shifted her amethyst eyes to look straight at him. _"You know you can tell me anything."_

The farmer nodded with a small smile, and took another bite at the curry rice. _"I've been feeling sick since yesterday. Like, in the stomach."_

Marlin eyed her with mock judgment. _"You been drinking again?"_

_"Don't be silly__."_, Jill chucked, playfully elbowing his side. _"It was just food poisoning. I ate some bad sea food."_

_"Ahh."_, he nodded in understanding. _"Are you feeling alright now, then?"_

_"Yes, I got some medicine from the clinic. It's fine."_, Jill explained calmly. _"It's just that. well, when I mentioned it to Muffy yesterday she hinted I might be.. hmm.. you see…"_

_"Oh geez, did she say you could be pregnant?"_, Marlin widened his eyes, quick to come to a conclusion. That Muffy, she was all about the babies lately! _"She can't go around scaring people like that!"_

The brunette laughed, mostly at how startled her boyfriend was at all that. She patted his back reassuringly. _"I don't think she did it on purpose. I think deep down Muffy only wants a friend who understand the many wonders of motherhood."_ She said this last part with some irony.

_"Well, I'm glad it's nothing serious."_, he said, getting up to take his now empty bowl to the sink. Jill followed him to the kitchen and realized the serious look upon his face. Marlin took her hands and gave them a light squeeze, his eyes carefully studying her slender fingers. She was oddly smooth for someone who spent so much time doing heavy work. _"Jill, I want you to know, if you were... with child… I would totally take responsibility for it."_

_"Ugh, Marlin, don't be so old fashioned."_, Jill smirked and gave him a light peck on the tip of his nose. She knew asking that of him was kind of impossible as everything about Marlin practically screamed "old fashioned".

_"You just had to ruin the moment."_, Marlin tried to sound offended but a smile creeped up his thin lips before he could stop it. He gave her a tug and she hugged him tightly. They just stood like that for a while. _"Do you ever think about the future?"_, she heard him whisper near her ear.

_"I know I want you to be in it.",_ Jill smiled, breathing in the scent of his hair. It was still a little wet from the shower and it smelled like shampoo.

Marlin moved his head so he was looking into her eyes. His expression was serene and she felt like she wanted to be like this - in his arms - forever. _"I want to have a family someday, maybe not now, but hopefully in a near future. I understand you have other priorities and I respect that. Just thought I'd let you know I'm not totally averse to the idea of having a kid at some point in our lives."_

Jill was surprised to hear him talk about something as serious as starting a family. And specifically, with her. They didn't talk much about future plans, but maybe it was good to put those things out there now they were getting serious. She nodded quietly, and kissed him softly on the lips.

_"I love you. I still don't know if I'm ready to do the whole parenthood thing, but I'm a hundred percent invested in this relationship. If I do end up starting a family someday, I'd only do it with you."_, Jill said, earning a smile from her blue eyed partner.

_"Looking forward to that day."_, he mumbled and hugged her tightly, resting his chin on top of her head.


End file.
